Pokemon Corps
by princechaz2011
Summary: Ash takes on a new tournament and joins a super-secret organization to help stop Team Rocket, but when he discovers their plans, will he be able to stop them?  Ash&Misty later on.
1. Chapter 1

Note: I do not own Pokemon. Let me know how you like it. This is my first story, so please be nice.

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><p>Lightning flashed and thunder roared as Team Rocket agents Shark and Nel ran through the streets of New Bark Town.<p>

"Certainly is quiet around at this time of night," said Shark.

"Well, it is a small city. Perfect for thieving," laughed Nel.

"Halt!"

"Who could that be?" asked Nel.

They both turned to see Officer Jenny standing behind them.

"Go, Growlithe!" she called as she through a pokeball. In a brilliant display of light that matched the lightning overhead, the pokeball popped open and out came a Growlithe.

Both Shark and Nel began laughing hysterically. "Oh this is too rich," laughed Nel, "you're really going to try to stop us with that?"

"I will stop you!" shouted Officer Jenny.

"Oh well," sighed Nel, "I hate to hurt a such a small Pokemon, but if I must, then so be it. Go, Persian!"

With yet another brilliant flash of light, a relaxed Persian appeared between Team Rocket and Officer Jenny's Growlithe.

"Growlithe, use Take Down!" shouted Jenny.

"Persian, dodge it!" called Nel.

Growlithe rushed toward Persian, but was unable to land a hit as Persian jumped out of the way, landing perfectly on its feet.

"Now Persian," said Nel, "Slash!"

Persian lunged toward Growlithe, sharp claws extended.

"Dodge it, Growlithe!" yelled Jenny, but it was too little, too late. Persian's slash was too fast, and the impact sent Growlithe careening for the nearest building. Growlithe hit and made a huge dent in the stone wall.

"Growlithe!" cried Jenny.

"Thank you, Persian," said Nel, "Now let's go."

Team Rocket took off, running hard to their waiting plane. When they boarded, they noticed the Boss was already waiting for them.

"Did you get what we came for?" he asked.

"Yes, sir!" both operatives said simultaneously.

"Good. Soon that hopeless fool Giovanni and all the world will bow before me! Bwahahahahahah!"

_Meanwhile..._

"Oh! That had to hurt! Pikachu's Volt Tackle scores a direct hit on Melanie's Staraptor."

"Staraptor is unable to battle. Pikachu wins the battle and Ash wins the match!"

The crowd cheered as sixteen-year-old Ash Ketchum walked out into the middle of the battlefield and lifted Pikachu up into the sky.

"You did amazing, buddy," he said as he gave Pikachu a tight hug.

"Pikapi," replied Pikachu.

"There you have it, folks. Just like that, Ash Ketchum works his way into the semifinal matches of the Pokemon World Championships!"

After he stepped off the battlefield, he was swarmed by a sea of reporters. His bodyguard helped him fight to the Pokemon Center to have his Pokemon looked at.

"Looks like you did it again. You managed to make it into the semifinals for a second year here at the World Championships," said Brock as Ash walked into the Pokemon Center.

"Yeah, and this time, I'm gonna win!"

"There's that fighting spirit. Good luck. You want me to look at your Pokemon?"

"Sure."

As Brock checked over Ash's Pokemon, Ash looked back on his previous attempt at the title.

_Flashback_

Pikachu goes flying into the wall after a powerful strike from Swampert's Muddy Water.

"The battle is over. Swampert wins!"

"Oh! I can't believe it's over. Just like that, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town has lost the Championship match. The new World Champion is Sig M. of Solaceon. Congratulations, Sig."

_End Flashback_

Ash had been completely demolished by Sig and his Pokemon. He hadn't stood a chance, but now, Ash was better, and Sig had lost in the fourth round to some newcomer. It was as if everything were going perfectly for Ash.

"Okay, Ash. Your Pokemon are ready."

Ash was really glad he had hired Brock to be his personal Pokemon Doctor. After his winning 2nd place last year, he had enough to pay Brock a decent salary, and he had more than enough for himself. Not only did he have plenty of money from that tournament, but with the new tournament setup, he had plenty of money.

Under the new setup, each competitor in the World Championships had to have placed in the top sixteen in at least five of the hundreds of minor tournaments. Ash had won seven titles this season, more than anyone else who had entered, and he was ready to top it all off with the World Championship trophy.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'll try to get more out soon. Until then, please review.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Pokemon or any of the companies affiliated with it.

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><p>The next day, Ash stood once again on the battlefield, waiting for his next opponent, Sven, to call out his first Pokemon.<p>

"Go, Raichu," he called.

"Alright," Ash said. "I choose you, Garchomp!"

There were two flashes of that brilliant light, and there stood the two Pokemon, staring each other down.

"Begin!" shouted the referee.

"Raichu," called Sven in his Australian accent, "use Discharge!"

Raichu began surrounding itself with electricity, shooting it out in all directions. The attack was so strong, it shattered several of the rocks on the battlefield, but Garchomp, being a ground type, was unaffected.

"What on earth is Sven thinking," cried the announcer over the sound system. "Doesn't he know that an electric-type move like discharge has no effect on Garchomp?"

Ash, however, was not so surprised. He had noticed how many of the rocks around Raichu had been shattered. It was a strategy that he sometimes used himself. He knew he had to stop Raichu now.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!"

Garchomp began glowing in a light blue orb, and shot toward Raichu at an amazing speed.

"Raichu," called Sven, "use agility to dodge it!

Raichu's image flickered as Garchomp came near, and when Garchomp would have made impact, Raichu was gone.

"Raichu, keep using agility to get in close and use Ice Punch!"

"Garchomp," called Ash, "use Dig!"

Garchomp jumped up and dug into the ground, avoiding the strike of Raichu's Ice Punch.

"And Garchomp manages to avoid that super-effective hit from Raichu by burrowing underground. A very resourceful move by Ash to save his Pokemon," cried the announcer.

"Garchomp attack Raichu now and finish it with Hyper Beam!"

Garchomp emerged under Raichu, sending Raichu flying. While Raichu was still in the air, Garchomp fired off its Hyper Beam, catching Raichu before it could hit the ground. Raichu was unable to move and avoid the hit.

"Raichu!" cried Sven.

"Raichu is unable to battle!" called the referee. "Garchomp wins!"

"Good job, Garchomp!" called Ash as the crowd roared and Sven recalled Raichu.

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><p>Hey please review. Your reviews help me to work out the kinks in my story.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Pokemon or any of the companies affiliated with it. Now please enjoy!

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><p><em>The match continues...<em>

"So you beat Raichu," Sven called to Ash. "No matter. You won't win the match. Go, Magnezone!"

Magnezone appeared on the field, electricity surrounding it.

"Begin!" the ref shouted.

"Magnezone, use Gyro Ball!"

"Garchomp, dodge it!"

The spinning Magnezone charged toward Garchomp. Garchomp tried to get away, but was unable to get away. Gyro Ball made a powerful impact.

"That may have landed," called Ash, "but Garchomp didn't take that much damage."

"You may be right," Sven replied, "but I'm not done yet. Magnezone, use Giga Impact!"

Garchomp had not recovered from the Gyro Ball, so it didn't have time to see Magnezone charging toward it to deliver a second powerful blow. When Giga Impact hit, Garchomp went flying and was unable get back up. It was unable to battle. After the ref called the battle, Ash recalled Garchomp and pondered what his next Pokemon should be.

"Okay, here goes! I choose you, Tauros!"

Tauros flashed onto the field stamping its foot, ready for battle.

"Begin!"

"Alright, Magnezone, use Giga Impact!"

"You, too, Tauros. Giga Impact!"

Both Tauros and Magnezone began to glow with a purple aura and charged at each other. The impact was so intense, dust and smoke flew everywhere. A wave of power went out from the impact and swept through the crowd, making some cry out in surprise.

When the smoke cleared, Tauros and Magnezone were now staring each other down, both obviously winded from the exertion of the attack.

"Magnezone, use Thunder!" cried Sven.

"Tauros, use Protect!"

A green light began to glow around Tauros. At the same time, Magnezone unleashed its electric attack. The attack simply bounced off the shield that now glowed around Tauros.

"Now Tauros," said Ash, "use Rock Smash!"

Tauros' horns began to glow orange as it charged toward Magnezone.

"No, get out of the way, Magnezone!" cried Sven, but he was too late, for Tauros collided with Magnezone, sending Magnezone flying.

Magnezone crashed into the wall and was called unable to battle. Sven recalled it and chose his next Pokemon.

"Go, Electivire!"  
>Electivire appeared on the field and the ref began the match.<p>

"Electivire, use Thunderbolt!"

"Tauros, Protect!"

Tauros began to summon the green light, but it was too late, for Electivire's attack was so fast that it cut right through and struck Tauros.

"Now, use Brick Break!" called Sven. Poor Tauros was still reeling from the Thunderbolt.

Electivire sprinted toward Tauros, hand glowing. The impact hit Tauros so hard that it rolled all the way back to Ash's feet.

"Tauros is unable to battle! Electivire wins!"

Ash recalled his Tauros and readied his next pokeball.

"Go, Venasaur!" he called.

"Begin!"

"Venasaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Venasaur shot dozens of sharp leaves toward Electivire.

"Electivire, use Thunderbolt to knock them down!"

Electivire began shooting sparks out all around to knock down all the leaves.

"Now, use Brick Break on Venasaur!"

"No way! Venasaur use Vine Whip to stop Electivire in its tracks!"

Electivire was charging toward Venasaur with its hand glowing, when all of a sudden, Venasaur's vines wrapped around it. Electivire struggled, but could not break free.

"Good job, Venasaur, now use Solar Beam to finish it!"

"Electivire, you've got to break free!"

But it was no use. Electivire was held tight by Venasaur's Vine Whip.

Venasaur finished charging for Solar Beam and let loose. A gigantic beam of light flew straight toward Electivire. Venasaur released its vines as the Solar Beam hit, allowing Electivire to soar high into the sky before crashing back down in the stadium.

"Electivire is unable to battle. Venasaur wins!"

"I can't believe Electivire lost," said Sven. "Oh well. Go, Manectric!"

"Begin!"

"Manectric, use Volt Tackle!"

"What?" cried Ash. "Manectric can't use Volt Tackle!"

"Mine can," replied Sven.

Manectric charged toward Venasaur surrounded by electricity.

"Venasaur," cried Ash, "use Frenzy Plant."

Vines began to grow up from the stadium floor as Venasaur unleashed Frenzy Plant. Manectric tried to break through, but the vines caught him and held him fast. Manectric's Volt Tackle was halted in its tracks.

"Manectric, you've got to break free. Use Bite!"

Manectric began to bite and tear at the vines, but it was no use, for every time it would break a vine, two more grew in its place. The vines continued to squeeze Manectric until it could no longer battle. The vines then dropped the unconscious Manectric onto the floor.

"Manectric is unable to battle! Venasaur wins!"

"Return, Venasaur!" called Ash.

"Go, Ampharos!" called Sven.

"Go, Torterra!" cried Ash.

"Begin!"

"Ampharos, use Echoed Voice!"

Ampharos emitted a high-pitched sound that bounced off all the walls and seemed to weaken Torterra.

"Torterra," cried Ash, "are you okay?"

"Torrr!" replied Torterra.

"Right! Then use Leaf Storm!"

Torterra unleashed a flurry of leaves straight at Ampharos, which Ampharos dodged thanks to a well-timed command to use Dig from Sven.

"Torterra," called Ash, "now use Earthquake!"

Torterra stood up on its tail and fell back down, causing the battlefield to shake violently. Ampharos then burst from the ground, obviously injured from the Earthquake.

"Now use Leaf Storm!" said Ash.

Once again Torterra unleashed the flurry of glowing leaves at Ampharos, but this time, despite Sven's commands to dodge, was unable to avoid it, as it was still reeling from Earthquake's power.

Ampharos fell down and was called unable to battle. Sven recalled it and prepared his final Pokemon.

"Go, Luxray!" Sven cried, and Luxray appeared before him.

"Begin!"

"Luxray, use Thunder on the battlefield.

"What's this?" cried the announcer. "Why would he use such a powerful move on the battlefield?"

"Luxray unleashed Thunder on the battlefield, sending huge boulders flying toward Torterra. Torterra took many of the hits without even flinching, but one boulder was so big that Torterra stumbled back from the hit.

Sven saw the weakness in Torterra's defenses and took advantage of it. "Now, use Ice Fang!"

Luxray rushed in close to Torterra and powered up to use Ice Fang.

"Torterra, use your tail to bat it away!"

But Torterra was to stunned and Luxray struck with its super-effective attack. When struck with Ice Fang, Torterra realized what was going on and shook its shock away.

"Torterra, use Earthquake !" cried Ash.

Torterra began to stomp his feet like giant hammers, working its way up to the move. Sven realized how much damage had been done and used this as an opportunity to avoid the hit.

"Luxray, jump!"

Luxray obediently jumped high in the air just as Torterra unleashed its Earthquake.

"You won't get away that easily!" called Ash to Sven. "Torterra use Energy Ball!"

Torterra took aim and shot a giant green ball toward Luxray.

"Luxray, use Thunderbolt to move around in the air and avoid it!"

Luxray used Thunderbolt and maneuvered itself away from the ball of energy, and then landed directly behind Torterra.

"Now use Ice Fang again!" said Sven, thinking he had won.

Ash hesitated, which Sven thought was strange. Finally, when Luxray was only a few feet away and closing, Ash called, "Now swipe your tail, Torterra!"

Torterra immediately responded, swiping Luxray away.

"Now turn and use Leaf Storm!"

Torterra turned to face Luxray and unleashed Leaf Storm once again. The attack exploded on impact, kicking up a large amount of dust and smoke. When the smoke cleared, there laid Luxray, unconscious.

"Luxray is unable to battle! Torterra wins! The match goes to Ash!"

The crowd roared as Ash and Sven shook hands, first with each other, and then the ref. Ash felt good about his win. He was now once again in the final of the World Championships. He couldn't wait to see his next opponent.

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><p>Hey if you like this story, review. I'll have the next chapter out soon.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

_Hope you enjoy this chapter. If you like battles, you will love this. If you like it, let me know._

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><p><em>Somewhere in Johto…<em>

"Congratulations! I'm impressed you were able to do so well on your mission to New Bark Town. Now I have another mission for you, Shark and Nel. You are to go Littleroot Town. Professor Birch has found an artifact that would serve Team Rocket well. You are to leave tomorrow."

"Yes, Boss," said Shark and Nel.

"Soon the entire world will bow before our might. Now, you will each take three Pokemon on this mission. Remember to be careful. Giovanni must not know about this. The item you seek is known as the Jewel of Creation."

"Yes, sir."

"You are both dismissed."

As they left, the Boss grinned. He would soon have everything he wanted.

_Back at the World Championships…_

"Welcome everyone!" called the announcer over the PA. "We are glad that you were able to join us today for the second semifinal match. As you know, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town has advanced into the final match. Now let's watch as his opponent is decided."

"Entering now is Josh T. of Twinleaf Town."

Ash looked on from his front row seat as Josh entered the arena. He was about the same age as Ash, or maybe just a little older. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He seemed to be very fit, as if he had seen his share of troubles.

He seemed to be very confident as he strode onto the field. He wasn't overconfident. He was just prepared. This was one to watch out for. This boy was the one who had defeated Sig in the fourth round. If he defeated Sig, there was no denying that he must be good.

The announcer continued. "Having defeated last year's champ Sig in the fourth round, Josh has proven that he deserves to be here."

Josh stepped onto the trainer's platform and waved to the crowd. He was definitely enjoying himself.

"Now entering the arena is Josh's opponent, Jeremy S. also of Twinleaf Town. Jeremy and Josh actually grew up together in Twinleaf as rivals. Who would believe that their rivalry would have motivated both of them to get here today? This proves to be a promising showdown."

"Wow!" exclaimed Misty, who was seated right next to Ash. "These two grew up together and now they're about to have it out at the World Championship semifinal match. It reminds me of you and Gary, Ash."

"Yeah, you're right," said Ash.

Both trainers shook hands and got their Pokemon ready.

"Go, Heracross!" said Josh.

"Go, Granbull!" said Jeremy.

"A Granbull?" said Ash. "Why would he pit a Granbull against a Heracross? Granbull is at an obvious disadvantage."

"I guess he has a strategy," said Brock, who also sat with Ash and Misty.

"Begin!"

"Heracross, use Megahorn!" yelled Josh.

"Granbull, Fire Punch!"

Heracross' horn began to glow, and Granbull's fist was blazing like a wildfire. Then the two Pokemon began to charge toward each other.

"Now I get it," said Ash. "He was planning to use Fire Punch."

The two Pokemon collided, setting off a massive explosion. Although no one could see through the smoke, both Pokemon had been sent flying back across the battlefield.

"What power!" said the announcer. Ash just stared at the battlefield. The power that these two Pokemon had generated already was incredible. What was more, both trainers seemed unfazed by the smoke.

"Heracross," called Josh, "charge up for Hyper Beam!"

"Incredible!" cried the announcer. "Josh is ordering his Pokemon to prepare for an attack even when he can't see it."

"Granbull," yelled Jeremy, "charge for Hyper Beam as well."

When the smoke finally cleared, both Pokemon stood facing each other. Both trainers issued the command to attack, and both Pokemon let loose Hyper Beam. The two beams collided and created an explosion even greater than the last.

"I can't believe these two are so evenly matched," said Misty.

"If these two keep it up, who knows what the battle will be like," said Brock.

The smoke cleared, and both Pokemon stood ready. Neither one seemed to be winded by the exertion of the battle so far.

"Granbull, use Fire Punch!"

"Heracross, Protect!"

Heracross put up the green barrier to protect itself. Granbull charged forward, fist blazing, and instead of bouncing back, it didn't move, but continued to strike at the barrier with Fire Punch after Fire Punch.

"What is he doing?" asked Misty.

"Well," said Brock, "I think he's trying to break the barrier. When used more than once, Protect tends to fail."

Suddenly, the barrier shattered, and Granbull followed through with yet another Fire Punch. This Fire Punch collided with Heracross' blue exoskeleton, causing it to sustain a burn.

"Heracross," cried Josh, "use Brick Break now!"

Heracross' hands began to glow, and Heracross struck Granbull in the chest. The impact was so powerful that Granbull was sent flying.

Granbull landed directly in front of Jeremy and was called unable to battle.

"Impressive," he called to Josh. "You used Protect to make sure I would get in close, then you let Heracross take a hit in order to hit me with Brick Break. I won't fall for that again.

"Heracross, return!" said Josh.

"Go, Nidoqueen!" said Jeremy.

"I choose you, Nidoking!"

"Wow!" said Misty. "They even have similar Pokemon."

"Begin!"

"Nidoking, use Ice Beam!"

"Nidoqueen, use Hyper Beam!"

"Wow!" cried Ash. "Jeremy's starting off with Hyper Beam. That's a bold move."

The beams collided in mid-air, creating yet another explosion.

"Nidoking, Bulldoze!"

"Nidoqueen, Superpower!"

The smoke cleared, and the Pokemon were wrestling in the center of the field. Nidoking looked enraged as it tried to overpower Nidoqueen, who was surrounded in a blue aura.

"Look how strong they are," said Brock. "With power like that, either one could be a problem."

Ash said nothing. He was still trying to figure out how to fight such a powerful foe. He had no idea that they would be this good.

"Nidoking, Hyper Beam!"

"You too, Nidoqueen!"

"What!" cried Ash. "When they're this close, such an explosion would K.O. any Pokemon!"

"This won't be good," said Brock.

Both Pokemon released Hyper Beam. The explosion was so violent that it shook the entire stadium. It took several minutes for the smoke and dust to clear. No one, even the announcer, said anything. When the smoke was finally gone, both Pokemon lay motionless on the ground.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle. This battle is a tie."

Everything was quiet. Both trainers recalled their Pokemon and looked at each other. The crowd stayed quiet. The tension was obviously thick.

Suddenly, both trainers began to laugh. The crowd just stared in disbelief. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

"These people need to lighten up, right Jeremy?" called Josh.

"Yeah, they haven't seen anything yet. Let's show what we can really do!"

"Alright! Go, Flygon!"

Jeremy smiled and sent out his own Pokemon, "Go, Tyranitar!"

Both Pokemon appeared and the match began.

"Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!"

"Flygon, dodge it!"

A ball of purple circles appeared in front of Tyranitar's mouth, which it shot at Flygon, but Flygon quickly dodged it. Tyranitar continued to shoot its attack at Flygon while it flew through the air. Tyranitar's Dark Pulse grew in size as the attack continued. Flygon soared around the stadium, expertly diving and banking to dodge the rings coming at it. Soon the Dark Pulse became so large that Flygon could no longer avoid it in the sky, so it had to dive down into the stadium to avoid getting hit. Tyranitar, having expended its energy, ceased using Dark Pulse and turned to face Flygon.

"Now Flygon, use Giga Impact!"

Yellow-orange streaks began to surround the charging Flygon, and a bright purple sphere of energy formed around it as well. Flygon flew straight toward Tyranitar, ready for a powerful strike at Tyranitar's rock hard armor.

"Tyranitar, use Blizzard!"

Tyranitar shot a powerful blast of ice and snow from its mouth. The blast flew straight toward Flygon, who was unprotected from the freezing cold power of Blizzard.

"Flygon!" cried Josh

Flygon became frozen solid due to the strike from Blizzard, and was now vulnerable to Tyranitar. Jeremy saw this and was fully prepared to take advantage.

"Tyranitar, use Hyper Beam!"

Tyranitar shot that powerful golden beam from its mouth. When it hit Flygon, the ice shattered, and Flygon was sent careening into the wall of the stadium. Flygon slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Flygon is unable to battle. Tyranitar wins."

Josh returned Flygon to its pokeball and prepared his next Pokemon.

"Go, Shiftry!"

"These two are amazing," said Misty. "The skills they have make even type disadvantages seem useless. Ash, you might have your work cut out for you."

"I know. These two are incredible."

"Aren't you worried about your match?"

"No way! I just can't wait to see who I will end up facing. The battle will be awesome!"

Misty sighed, "Same old Ash."

"Begin!"

"Shiftry, use Energy Ball!"

"Tyranitar, Blizzard!"

Shiftry shot the green Energy Ball at Tyranitar, and Tyranitar unleashed its powerful Blizzard attack. The two moves collided in air, and Tyranitar's Blizzard kept coming.

"Shiftry, use Whirlwind!"

Shiftry waved the fans on its arms, creating a massive Whirlwind which blew Tyranitar's Blizzard right back at it. Tyranitar was unprepared for such a turn of events and was left frozen solid.

"Shiftry, use Leaf Storm!"

The leaves on Shiftry's fans began to glow white, and it waved its hands toward Tyranitar, unleashing a powerful Leaf Storm. Tyranitar, being frozen solid, was unable to hear its master's cries to get out of the way. The Leaf Storm struck Tyranitar, leaving it unconscious and unable to continue.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle! Shiftry wins!"

"Tyranitar, return! Go, Magmortar!"

"Why would Josh not recall Shiftry? Magmortar has the advantage over the grass-type Shiftry. This could be a hard battle for Shiftry," said Brock.

"Maybe he has some kind of strategy," said Misty.

"We'll see," said Ash.

"Begin!"

"Magmortar, use Flamethrower!"

Magmortar put its arms in front of it and released two red-orange streams of fire from its arm cannons at Shiftry.

"Shiftry," called Josh, "get out of the way!"

Shiftry jumped to the side just in time to avoid the Flamethrower, but Jeremy was prepared.

"Cease Flamethrower and use Fire Punch!"

Magmortar stopped using Flamethrower and aimed its arm cannons at Shiftry.

"What's it doing?" asked Brock. "Fire Punch is a contact move. Why is it aiming for a special?"

As if in answer to Brock's question, Magmortar fired off two fist-shaped chunks from its arm cannons. Shiftry was caught off-guard and sent rolling across the stadium floor.

"What?" cried the announcer. "I've never seen something so amazing. Magmortar is using Fire Punch as a special move instead of a physical move. What kind of training did it have to go through for that?"

"Ha ha!" laughed Jeremy. "This is Magmortar's true skill. Using Fire Punch would make most trainers think that Magmortar was going to move closer. Doing such a thing in battle could be dangerous, so I trained Magmortar to use Fire Punch from a distance. It took a lot of training, but now that we have it, it's an invaluable move."

"Shiftry, can you still go on?" asked Josh.

Shiftry got up and nodded to Josh, then turned to face Magmortar.

"Okay then! Use Whirlwind!"

Shiftry jumped into the air and waved its giant fans at Magmortar, producing another powerful gale. It was so strong that Magmortar was picked up and thrown into a wall, but Magmortar wasn't done yet. It got back up and jumped back in front of Jeremy, waiting for orders.

"Magmortar, use Flame Burst."

"Magmortar aimed and shot a small fireball at Shiftry.

"Shiftry, dodge it!"

Shiftry jumped and successfully dodged the fireball, but was unprepared for the explosion that came when the fireball hit the floor. The explosion sent Shiftry flying and inflicted a burn as well. Shiftry managed to land gracefully on its feet, using its fans to steady itself, but when it landed, the burn took effect, causing significant damage to the already-worn out Shiftry. Shiftry dropped to one knee, breathing laboriously.

"Shiftry!" cried Josh.

"Surrender the battle, Josh!" called Jeremy. "Shiftry is beaten. I don't want to purposely injure one of your Pokemon."

Josh looked to Shiftry, who had been one of his first captures on his journey. He had come to know Shiftry almost as well as his starter. He knew that if he surrendered the battle, Shiftry would feel dishonored. He realized that he had to let the battle run its course.

"I can't, Jeremy."

Jeremy understood. He and Josh had grown up together, and battled many times. He did feel bad that he had to attack Shiftry, but he realized that he could not dishonor Shiftry.

"Very well. I'm sorry Shiftry. Magmortar, use Fire Punch!"

Magmortar shot one of the fist-shaped chunks toward Shiftry. Shiftry took the hit and was knocked unconscious.

"Shiftry is unable to battle! Magmortar wins!"

Josh recalled Shiftry and thanked it for its hard fight. He looked at Magmortar, noticing the scratches and injuries that had been caused from the Whirlwind. He smiled. This really was turning out to be as much fun as he'd hoped.

"Go, Gyarados!"

"Oh! And Josh sends out a mighty Gyarados!" cried the announcer.

"Now it's down to Gyarados, huh?" asked Jeremy.

"Yep," replied Josh.

"Begin!"

"Gyarados, Hydro Pump!"

Gyarados roared and blasted a powerful column of water out of its mouth.

"Dodge it, Magmortar!"

Magmortar successfully dodged the attack, but Gyarados turned and shot another Hydro Pump at Magmortar, drenching it and knocking it unconscious.

"Did you see that power?" asked Misty. "I've never seen a Hydro Pump quite so powerful. Even legendary water-type Pokemon don't use that kind of power."

"Magmortar is unable to battle! Gyarados wins!"

Jeremy recalled Magmortar and sent out his next Pokemon.

"Go, Electivire!"

"Begin!"

"Electivire, Thunderbolt!"

Electivire shot the powerful bolt of electricity straight at Gyarados, who took the hit without even a flinch.

"What?" cried Misty. "No Gyarados should be able to take a hit like that and not even flinch."

"Gyarados, use Giga Impact!"

Gyarados' body was surrounded by orange streaks and then a purple energy sphere. Gyarados charged toward Electivire.

"Electivire, Thunder Wave!"

Electivire shot a powerful blast of electricity at Gyarados, but it just bounced off the purple energy sphere.

"What!" cried Jeremy. "What's going on?"

Gyarados kept coming and struck Electivire. Electivire rolled across the stadium floor, and struggled to get back up.

"I see you're surprised," said Josh. "You see, I found a way to combine Protect with Giga Impact. This way, Gyarados can protect itself while attacking. How do you like it?"

"It's impressive. I never would have thought of something like that."

"That was awesome!" cried Ash. "I can't wait to get out and battle!"

Brock and Misty just sighed.

"Electivire, use Thunder!"

"Gyarados, Ice Beam!"

Electivire powered up and sent a large and powerful blast of electricity straight for Gyarados, who shot an Ice Beam out to meet it. The two attacks met, and a shockwave radiated through the stadium.

"Electivire, Thunder!"

"Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"

Both Pokemon fired off their attacks, resulting in another explosion, this one causing damage to both Pokemon and creating a huge crater in the center of the battlefield, where the attacks had met. Gyarados shakily got back up, and Electivire seemed to have just as much trouble.

"Electivire, Thunder!" cried Jeremy.

"Gyarados, duck!"

Gyarados ducked just in time, dodging the Thunder.

"Now use Hydro Pump!"

Gyarados shot that powerful column of water from its mouth once again.

"Electivire, Thunderbolt!"

Electivire shot the thunderbolt, which cut right through Hydro Pump and struck Gyarados. Poor Gyarados could not handle this blast in its weakened state, and slipped into unconsciousness.

"Gyarados is unable to battle! Electivire wins!"

"Gyarados, return! You did great, buddy," Josh turned to Jeremy. "You ready for this?"

"Let's go!"

"Okay, I choose you, Infernape!"

The Flame Pokemon appeared before Josh and roared, the flames on its head growing.

"That's a pretty big Infernape," said Misty.

"Yeah, it's huge. It looks strong, too," said Ash.

"Begin!"

Without hesitation, Josh yelled a command to Infernape.

"Close Combat, now!"

Infernape seemingly disappeared and reappeared behind Electivire.

"What speed!" cried the announcer.

"I didn't even see it move," said Misty.

"This Infernape is extremely well-trained. There was no noticeable hesitation between the command and its movement. What a Pokemon!" said Brock.

Jeremy called out an attack, but he was too late. Infernape's blinding speed had given it the ultimate position. It unleashed the attack. Repeatedly punching and kicking Electivire. Poor Electivire didn't stand a chance. With one last chop to the head, Infernape finished the attack and disappeared, only to reappear in front of Josh. Electivire dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Electivire is unable to battle! Infernape wins!"

"Electivire, return! Go, Empoleon!"

Empoleon appeared on the field. Empoleon matched Infernape's powerful gaze with one of its own.

"Begin!"

Seconds after the ref began the match, without warning, a giant shockwave shook the battlefield. The shockwave produced many squeals of surprise, including one from Misty.

"What was that?" she cried.

"That was the Pokemon attacking one another," said Brock.

"But they didn't even move," said Misty.

"Yeah, they did," said Ash quietly. "They moved so fast it was hard to see. I barely even caught a glimpse of it."

Misty looked to the field, and sure enough, there in the crater were Infernape and Empoleon. The two appeared to be wrestling, just as the nidos had earlier. She looked at the trainers, who were, to her surprise, grinning like a couple of school kids.

"Infernape must have responded to what Josh was thinking, and Empoleon did the same," said Brock.

"That's incredible!" said Misty.

"Something tells me this match is just beginning," said Ash.

"Infernape, use Fire Punch!"

"Empoleon, Metal Claw!"

Infernape's hand began to blaze, and the blue parts on the rims of Empoleon's wings glowed white. Both Pokemon lunged at the other, attacks colliding. Both Pokemon were thrown back out of the crater, landing gracefully on their feet.

"Infernape, use Flame Wheel!"

Infernape jumped into the air and somersaulted, the flame on its head consuming its body. Then it began to roll toward Empoleon.

"Empoleon, Hydro Drill!"

Empoleon jumped up and began to twirl in mid-air, releasing a large amount of water. Then it pointed itself toward Infernape and took off.

"What kind of move is that?" asked Ash.

"It appears to be an enhanced version of Aqua Jet," said Misty.

Flame Wheel and Hydro Drill collided, neither giving an inch. After a few seconds, both Pokemon jumped back to their respective sides as steam from the clash covered the field.

"I can't see anything!" cried the announcer.

As the steam began to clear, Ash could make out the outline of both Empoleon and Infernape. He had never seen such a battle as this.

"Infernape, Flare Blitz!"

Infernape's body became surrounded by red-orange fire and it shot at Empoleon like a missile. As it was traveling, the fire began to glow light blue.

"Empoleon, Hydro Drill!"

Empoleon became surrounded by the twirling water and shot at Infernape. The Pokemon collided mid-field, filling the stadium once again with steam. When the steam cleared, both Infernape and Empoleon were grappling in the crater once again.

"Empoleon, Hydro Pump!"

Empoleon let loose a powerful column of water right in Infernape's face. Infernape was blasted back into the wall across from Empoleon.

"Now Empoleon, Hydro Maxus!"

"What kind of move is that?" asked Ash.

"I've never heard of it either," said Misty.

Empoleon was then coated by water that took on its body shape. The water copy then moved to stand in front and slightly to the right of Empoleon. Empoleon did this once again, and the copy moved to stand opposite the first copy and in front of Empoleon.

"_Empolllll!_" cried Empoleon as it commanded the two water copies to attack.

The two copies shot off like missiles, leaving a thin trail of water behind them. Josh saw them coming and commanded Infernape to use Pyro Tornado.

"I've never heard of that move, either," said Ash.

Infernape began to spin around and around, throwing flames out from its hand and crown. Empoleon's copies moved toward Infernape with incredible speed, but the Pyro Tornado swiped them out of the sky. Suddenly, the burning twister rose above Infernape, who was now glowing red. Infernape lifted its hands in the air and then pointed toward Empoleon. The tornado moved across the field toward Empoleon.

"Dodge it, Empoleon!"

Empoleon jumped, but realized that the tornado followed its movements. It continued to dodge, but was soon too tired to continue, at which point the tornado caught up and consumed.

"Empoleon!" called Jeremy.

Suddenly, the tornado of fire broke apart, and there stood Empoleon glowing blue. It was obviously burned from the attack, but the blue glow seemed to move like water and began healing the wounds.

"This is the power of Torrent!" called Jeremy. "Now use Hydro Pump!

Empoleon sent the powerful column of water at Infernape. Josh commanded Infernape to dodge it. Infernape jumped and realized that Empoleon was attacking the same way it had. It was following Infernape's movements. In order to avoid getting hit, Infernape began to run around the side of the field. It was obviously tired, as it was nowhere near as fast as it was before. Soon the attack caught it, and it was thrown into the wall by the sheer force of the attack.

Infernape slowly raised itself off the ground where it had fallen.

"_Now's my chance!_" thought Jeremy. "Empoleon, use Hydro Maxus!"

Empoleon summoned the two copies and sent them rocketing straight toward Infernape.

Just as the attacks were about to make contact, Infernape disappeared. The copies crashed into the floor where Infernape had just been.

"Infernape use Flare Blitz!"

Infernape reappeared a few feet from Empoleon, already surrounded by the white-hot orb. It slammed into Empoleon hard. Empoleon crashed into the wall, nearly collapsing it. Empoleon fell to the ground and managed to climb onto its feet.

Infernape stood across the field, red sparks shooting all around it as it took recoil damage.

Both trainers realized that they had to act now. Their Pokemon might not last another round.

"Infernape, Hyper Beam!"

"Empoleon, Hyper Beam!"

Both called out the command at the exact same time, and both Pokemon reacted at the exact same time. The golden beams shot from each Pokemon, and met in the center of the field. The resulting explosion was the greatest yet. It took five full minutes as the smoke cleared. The crowd was quiet except for the few who were coughing. The trainers were both shielding their faces with their arms, waiting to see who would win. Even the announcer was silent. Ash, Misty, and Brock looked on with gaping mouths. They had all forgotten about the tournament and were entranced by the spectacle before them. As the smoke finally cleared, it was revealed that both Pokemon were lying on the ground.

Infernape and Empoleon both struggled to get up, but both fell back down. The crowd waited, as did the ref. Soon, Infernape once again tried to rise. Empoleon also tried, but fell down immediately. Both trainers looked on intently, both silently hoping that their Pokemon would get up.

Infernape had now risen to one knee, and after a few seconds, it stood up, shakily at first, but then it straightened and stood proud. Everyone looked to Empoleon, who was still struggling to raise itself up. Finally, it too stood up.

The two Pokémon's eyes met. Only briefly, before Empoleon gave in to its injuries and passed out.

"The match is over!" called the ref. "Empoleon is unable to battle! Infernape wins! Josh T. will now advance to the final to take on Ash K!"

The crowd was momentarily stunned, but after a few seconds, Ash stood up and began to clap. Misty and Brock followed, and soon the whole crowd was on their feet, clapping for the trainers who had just put on what was probably the best match they had ever seen.

"And so there you have it! Josh will be facing Ash in 3 days for the World Championship title. Until then, have fun!"

* * *

><p>Hey! So that finishes that. If you're confused by the title, just wait until next chapter. Then everything will make sense! Until then, please review. I will try to have chapter five out in a couple of days.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, here it is. Hopefully this chapter will help explain a little bit. There are quite a few hints in this chapter as to who's in the Corps, and even a little insight into what the Corps is. Hope you enjoy!_

_Note: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies._

* * *

><p><em>In Littleroot Town…<em>

"Is this where they are keeping the artifacts?" Shark asked Nel as he pointed at the large white building.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Well let's hurry up. We don't want to keep the Boss waiting."

"Right."

They crept into the large building through a small window on the side. They found themselves in what appeared to be some kind of classroom.

"I think we just need to move down the hall from here and we'll find the secret safe room," said Nel.

"Come on, then!" said Shark.

They continued down the hall and found a locked door at the end of the hall.

"This must be the room," said Shark

Nel bent down and examined the keypad. After looking it over, she reached into her pack and pulled out a small device. She removed the face of the keypad and wired her device to it.

"Will you hurry up? Someone's going to catch if we don't get out of here," said Shark.

"I'm going as fast as I can. I only need three more numbers,"

The small device counted down the last three numbers and the door clicked open. Nel and Shark entered slowly. They looked around.

"Do you see anything?" asked Nel.

"Nothing," Shark replied.

"How big was the box, again?" asked Shark.

"It was about the size of a chest."

"And I have to carry it, right?"

"You see me lifting a chest?"

Shark had to admit she had a point. She was super skinny. She prided herself on her ability to get out of tight spots, and to do that, she had to be skinny. Shark had made his way up in Team Rocket through his massive size and battling prowess.

"Hey!" said Nel, "I think I found it."

"Where?"

"It's in this safe. Let me see if I can get in."

After a few minutes, Nel cracked the rather large safe and opened it up. Shark bent down and pulled out the chest. Gently, he swung it over his back and walked toward the door.

"Let's go. I don't think I can carry this thing forever," said Shark.

With that, they snuck back out and hurried to the waiting chopper.

"There. Now the boss should be happy," said Nel.

_Back at the World Championships…_

"Man," said Ash as he, Misty, and Brock walked down Main Street, "I never thought that this island would have so much. I thought it was deserted before the World Championships. How did this stuff get here so soon?"

"Ash," said Misty, "you do realize the World Championships have been held for two years, right?"

"Yeah, but other than that, the island is deserted."

"I see you're point, but just because the island becomes deserted doesn't mean people can't build there, Ash."

"I guess you're right. So what do you guys want to do tonight?"

"I was thinking we could eat at that nice restaurant on the other side of town," said Brock.

"That's okay with me," said Misty.

"Sounds good to me," agreed Ash.

"Then it's settled, we'll meet at seven at the Leoheart. I'll see you guys. I've got some ladies to grace with my presence."

With that, Brock left the group and turned down the nearest side street.

"I don't know what we're gonna do with Brock," sighed Misty.

"Well, what do you want to do, Misty?" asked Ash.

"I suppose we could ride a few of the rides they've put up."

"Sounds good to me."

Ash and Misty ran off to ride some of the rides, but little did they know, they were being watched.

_At Pokemon Corps Headquarters, Route 123, Hoenn…_

"Well, what do we know about him?" asked the Commandant.

"We know that he is a strong trainer. This is his second year making it into the finals," replied the operative.

"Do you believe he should join us?"

"I would advise against it. He may be a good trainer, but he is untested in the field, and that could be dangerous."

"I recall that two of our best agents had only five badges when I found them."

"That's different. You found them young and trained them from then on. This boy is already sixteen."

"Age means nothing. My old friend, our two best operatives were ten when I found them on the road to Fortree City to receive their sixth badge. I challenged them both to a battle, and I lost. Ever since that day, they have been two of the best. They have never failed a mission."

"Then why do we need Ash?"

"You were there, Sven. Lugia itself called him the Chosen One. If Lugia was right, and I'm not about to say a legendary Pokemon was wrong, then he is the only one who can help stop Team Rocket this time."

"This time? What's different?"

"Team Rocket has done the unthinkable. They have gone after the three sacred artifacts. If they find all three, and they already have two, then even Ash won't be able to stop them."

"They found the one that we had hidden in Littleroot?"

"I'm afraid so. Security had no idea it had even happened until the next morning. These artifacts are too important to trust to the local law enforcement. I only wish I could have come to this conclusion before. Putting Corps operatives in these small cities will draw attention, but I see no choice. Send Seth and a few lower level operatives to find the third artifact. Things have become very dangerous."

"Sir, do you want them to bring Ash now?"

"No," said the Commandant with a smile. "Neither one would ever forgive me for interrupting the battle. Let them compete, then, after the awards ceremony, bring them to me. For now, have both of them keep their eyes on Ash. We can't afford to lose him."

"Sir, I'm still not sure what he has to do with the artifacts."

"Be patient, Sven. When the time comes, all will be revealed."

"Yes, Sir."

_Back at the Championship Isle…_

"This food is delicious!" said Ash as he took another bite of the juicy, melt-in-your-mouth steak.

"I know," said Misty, enjoying the largest grilled chicken salad she had seen in her life.

Brock said nothing, stuffing his face with a huge burger and fries. Once Ash had finished his steak, the waiter stepped over and asked if anyone wanted desert. They all said no, unable to eat anymore.

As Ash sat there at the table moaning from all the food, he was greeted by a slightly familiar voice.

"I take it you enjoyed it?"

Ash turned to see Josh standing there, wearing a black suit and blue shirt with a black bow tie. From the corner of his eye, Ash saw Misty's eyes grow to the size of watermelons when she saw him. He seemed awfully dressed up just for dinner.

"It was great!" Ash replied.

"Good. So are you ready for our match tomorrow?"

"You bet. Speaking of matches, you did great in your match earlier. I've never even heard of Pyro Tornado."

"That's because I invented it. It took forever to get it just right, but now it's paid off."

"I'll say."

"So," began Misty, who had recovered from her shock, "you and Jeremy know each other?"

Josh smiled. "Yeah. We started our journey together. We traveled to every city together, training and winning badges. We've always been great friends and rivals."

"That's cool," said Misty.

"You two were amazing. I've never seen any two trainers who knew their Pokemon so well," said Brock.

"Thank you," said Josh. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get some rest. I have a long day of training tomorrow. See ya!"

Ash watched him leave. He couldn't wait to take Josh on in the final match.

The next day, Ash left early to go to a different part of the island for training. There were plenty of places in the city for training, but he wanted some peace and quiet.

Ash had already put together his team the night before. He had decided on Pikachu, of course, Garchomp, Charizard, Blastoise, Venasaur, and Muk. Now he just needed to train.

"Okay, Pikachu, we need to come up with our own super move. You ready?"

"Pika!"

"Alright. Hmm…. What do we do?"

"Pika-pi!" cried Pikachu.

"I can't help it. I don't know how to make a move. I mean, that Pyro Tornado was a stroke of genius, but I'm not sure what we could do to match—That's it!"

"Pika?"

"Pikachu, do you remember when I had you to use Thunderbolt while spinning?"

"Pika!"

"Well, just try that to start. Maybe we can create our own tornado.

"Pikachu!"

* * *

><p>So Ash has started training. Next chapter, The Championship begins. I promise to get that chapter up by the end of the week, weather permitting. I say weather permitting because we've had storms over the past few days and I obviously don't want to be on a computer when lightning strikes. If that happened, I'm not entirely sure what would happen to me. More importantly, I'm not sure who would finish the story, since I'm the only one who knows the plot. On a serious note, please review. If you like the story, let me know. This may be my first story, but it certainly wont be my last, and your reviews help me fill in the gaps. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliated companies.

Here it is, the World Championship match. Josh vs. Ash! Who will win? Read and find out!

* * *

><p>"Welcome one and all. The time has come for Ash K. of Pallet Town to take on Josh T. of Littleroot Town. This promises to be an exciting match.<p>

"Entering the field now is Josh T. of Littleroot Town. Josh T., as you know, has had a startling first year here at the World Championships. At the age of sixteen, Josh has already beaten a former World Champ and is now looking for a title of his own. After a shocking semifinal match, he and his Pokémon are now preparing to take on last year's second place. How will they fare against Ash?

"On the opposite end of the battlefield, last year's runner-up is entering the field. Ash K. has been unstoppable in this tournament. He faced off with Sven in the semifinal, and pulled out a win after using only four of his own Pokémon against Sven's six. He has now advanced to the top two and will face off with Josh for the title. Will Ash be able to pull it off?"

Ash stepped onto the platform opposite Josh and nodded toward him. Josh nodded back. The crowd cheered as the referee stepped onto the field. He explained the rules of the match. Ash and Josh both had heard them so many times before, but listened anyway. It would be a six-on-six battle, substitutions were not allowed, and neither trainer was allowed to step onto the field until the match was done.

"Now," said the ref as he turned to face the crowd, "without further ado, let the match begin!"

As Ash prepared his first Pokémon, he glanced to Misty and Brock for encouragement. With a nod from both of them, he threw the pokeball.

"Go, Blastoise!"

Josh smiled. It was finally beginning. "Go, Heracross!"

In a bright flash of light, both Pokémon appeared on the field.

"Begin!" cried the ref.

"Blastoise," yelled Ash, "use Skull Bash!"

Blastoise lowered its head and charged toward Heracross.

"Heracross, use Megahorn!"

Heracross' horn began to glow and it too charged. Both Pokémon collided in the center of the field and jumped back to their respective sides, neither willing to show weakness.

"Heracross, use Close Combat!"

Heracross spread its wings and flew toward Blastoise.

"Blastoise, Rapid Spin!"

Blastoise ducked into its shell and began to spin as Heracross moved in close. Heracross was repelled by the attack, and used its wings to catch itself mid-air.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"

Blastoise ceased spinning and came out of its shell. Then, it opened its shell and revealed its two water cannons. It lined up the shot and released two powerful jets of water from the cannons.

"Heracross, evasive maneuvers!"

Heracross spread its wings once again and took flight to avoid the attack. Its first attack having failed, Blastoise continued to fire off jets of water toward Heracross. Heracross began executing extraordinary maneuvers as it dodged the attacks. It rose, banked, dived, and even flew backwards to avoid the jets of water.

"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!"

"Heracross, use Megahorn before it can charge up!"

Heracross flew toward Blastoise at an alarming speed, powering up as it went. Blastoise stared it down, readying its own attack. Normally, Blastoise would have fired off the attack sooner, but because of the massive amount of Hydro Pump it had been using, it took it a second to ready the attack. Finally, Blastoise released Hydro Cannon, but Heracross was able to avoid the attack. Heracross dove in and struck with Megahorn.

Ash knew that Blastoise had the strength to take the hit, and in that moment he had a brilliant idea to give him the match.

"Blastoise, grab it when it attacks!"

"Heracross, get out of there now!" called Josh, but it was too late, for Heracross was fully committed to Megahorn.

Blastoise allowed its shell to take the brunt of the attack as it reached out with its short arms to grab Heracross. Its small claws caught hold of Heracross, holding fast as it tried to get away.

"Heracross, use Brick Break!"

"Blastoise, use Skull Bash now!"

Heracross lifted its hand to strike Blastoise, but Blastoise head-butted it in the gut. Heracross fell to the ground and rolled, but managed to get back up.

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

"Heracross, Protect!"

Heracross summoned the green barrier as the powerful jet shot toward it. The barrier held, but Ash wasn't done yet.

"Now use Rapid Spin!"

Blastoise withdrew into its shell and began to spin. After working up speed, it charged straight for Heracross.

"Heracross, fly up and then use Megahorn!"

Heracross jumped above the incoming Blastoise and crashed down on top with Megahorn. Fortunately for Ash, because Blastoise was in its shell, it took little damage, however, Blastoise was now at a disadvantage since it must leave its shell to attack.

"Heracross, hit it with Brick Break until it comes out!"

Heracross began to strike Blastoise's shell with Brick Break repeatedly, all the while Blastoise remained in its shell.

_Great, how am I supposed to get out of this one,_ thought Ash. Then another brilliant idea came to him.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump at the nearest wall!"

The closest wall happened to be directly across from Blastoise's cannons. Blastoise fired the powerful jets straight at the wall. When they struck, the power propelled Blastoise in the opposite direction, freeing him from Heracross' trap.

After reaching the wall, Blastoise emerged from its shell and faced Heracross.

"Heracross, use Megahorn!"

Heracross charged toward Blastoise, horn glowing.

"Blastoise, get out of the way!"

Blastoise moved to the side faster than Josh thought possible, causing Heracross to crash into the wall.

"Now Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon to end it!"

"Heracross, get out of there now!"

Unfortunately for Heracross, its horn was stuck and it could not move. It grunted with the exertion as it tried to pull free, but it was no use. Blastoise fired off the two orbs of water straight toward Heracross. The orbs hit so hard that Heracross was freed from the wall and sent crashing into the wall behind Ash. Heracross slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Heracross is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!"

Josh recalled Heracross and smiled at Ash.

"I'm impressed. I never expected you to beat Heracross. This may turn out to be a good match after all.

"Go, Shiftry!"

The Wicked Pokémon appeared before him opposite Blastoise.

"Begin!"

"Shiftry, use Leaf Storm!"

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"

Both Pokémon attacked and the moves collided, each one fighting for supremacy. Finally,Shiftry's will proved to be stronger as it gained the upper hand. The tired Blastoise wasn't strong enough to resist as Shiftry's Leaf Storm struck. The super-effective move left Blastoise lying on the ground. It tried to get up, but fell back down, unconscious.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Shiftry wins!"

Ash recalled Blastoise and thanked it. _Now what should I do? Think Ash! I can't use Charizard yet. I was hoping he would wait until later. Guess I have no choice._

"Go, Muk!"

"Begin!"

"Shiftry, use Razor Wind."

Shiftry waved its fans, producing a powerful gust heading straight for Muk. The sharp gust slashed through Muk's side, but the grime that made up Muk's body just reformed over the wound, making it as if there was never even a scratch. Muk seemed unfazed by the attack.

"Muk, use Sludge Bomb!"

Muk opened his mouth and fired a stream of sludge toward Shiftry.

"Shiftry, dodge it!"

Shiftry used its fans to propel itself up and out of the way of the attack. Muk's sludge flew harmlessly away.

"Shiftry, use Energy Ball"

Shiftry summoned the green energy and shot it toward Muk. The ball hit Muk in the face and exploded, temporarily blinding it.

Shiftry, use Extrasensory!"

Shiftry's eyes began to glow gold, and a rainbow colored beam shot from its eyes, striking Muk. Muk cried out as the attack struck, causing massive damage.

"Muk, use Gunk Shot!"

Muk opened its eyes and shot a powerful blast of gunk from its mouth. The gunk hit Shiftry, knocking it backwards. Muk was released from the attack and with an order from Ash, began charging toward Shiftry with a powerful Take Down attack. Muk slammed into Shiftry, sending it flying even farther across the field.

"Shiftry, Energy Ball!"

Shiftry began to form the ball of green energy, but a Gunk Shot from Muk sent it flying. To finish the battle, Ash ordered Muk to use Sludge Bomb. Muk obediently fired the stream of sludge from its mouth, knocking Shiftry unconscious as it was thrown backwards.

"Shiftry is unable to battle! Muk wins!"

The crowd roared as Josh recalled Shiftry.

"I can't believe Ash is doing so well," said Misty.

"Yeah, but you saw how good Josh is. Things are gonna get rough," said Brock.

"I know. I just hope Ash can hold his own."

Back on the field, Josh threw out his next Pokémon. "Go, Flygon!"

The Mystic Pokémon appeared before its master, ready for battle.

"Begin!"

"Muk, use Gunk Shot!"

"Flygon, dodge it and use Earthquake!"

Muk shot the powerful blast of sludge at Flygon, who easily dodged it. After safe from Muk's attack, Flygon unleashed Earthquake by slamming its powerful tail on the ground below. The ground shook violently, and Muk shrank back in fear.

"Finish it, Flygon! Signal Beam!"

A white ball of light appeared in front of Flygon's open mouth. Flygon fired the beam at Muk. Muk, being drained from the super-effective hits it had taken, fell unconscious from the attack.

"Muk is unable to battle! Flygon wins!"

The crowd roared, excited by the intense battle. Misty and Brock could tell that at this point, it didn't matter who won the match to them. The battle was the important thing now. The crowd would be pleased either way.

"Go, Venusaur!"

Venusaur appeared in a brilliant flash of light, roaring its eagerness to begin.

"Begin!"

"Flygon, Hyper Beam!"

"Venusaur, Leaf Storm!"

The two attacks were evenly matched as they collided in the center of the field. The resulting explosion kicked up dust and smoke in all directions, effectively blinding everyone watching, but this didn't stop Ash and Josh.

"Flygon, Giga Impact!"

"Venusaur, grab Flygon with Vine Whip!"

Flygon began charging toward Venusaur, wrapped in the purple orb and orange streaks. Venusaur's vines shot out to catch Flygon, and did, causing the attack to fail.

"Now use Solar Beam, Venusaur!"

"Flygon, Hyper Beam!"

Both Pokémon charged and released their attacks. When the golden Hyper Beam and bright Solar Beam hit, the explosion was so powerful that Venusaur could not hold on to Flygon, and Flygon was thrown across the field by the massive force. Venusaur was not thrown, but was pushed back several feet. When the smoke cleared, Flygon was still on the ground, and Venusaur was breathing heavily.

"Flygon, can you get up?"

Flygon responded by flapping its wings and rising into the air.

"Flygon, use Double Team!"

Flygon immediately created a large number of decoys that surrounded Venusaur.

"Flygon, now charge for Hyper Beam!"

Flygon and its copies began preparing Hyper Beam, which, because of the exhaustion, would take longer than usual.

"Venusaur, use Leaf Storm to knock them all out!"

Venusaur unleashed a humungous Leaf Storm, taking out every Flygon in its path. As the move passed around, no Flygon seemed to be solid. When the moved finished, every Flygon was gone.

"Where did the real one go?" cried Ash.

"Unleash Hyper Beam, now," said Josh as he pointed into the sky. Ash looked up to see Flygon, floating twenty feet directly above Venusaur, golden ball of energy ready to shoot.

The golden beam hit Venusaur in the back, causing it to collapse as an explosion rocked the battlefield. Both trainers waited to see the outcome of the attack. When the smoke cleared, Venusaur lay unconscious on the ground.

"Venusaur is unable to battle! Flygon wins!"

Once again the crowd roared as Ash recalled Venusaur. He looked at Flygon, and realized that now was his chance. Flygon was beginning to wear down. Multiple Hyper Beams were now taking their toll on it. Ash had an opening.

"Go, Garchomp!"

"And Ash sends out Garchomp to take on its cousin Flygon. This should be an even match, seeing as how both Pokémon are ground-dragon-type Pokémon."

"Begin!"

"Garchomp, use Dig!"

Garchomp disappeared as it burrowed underground.

"I don't know what you're thinking, Ash. Surely you know that Flygon has the Levitate ability, meaning it is unaffected by ground-type moves."

"Of course," said Ash. "But who said Dig was my attack? Garchomp, come on out and use Ice Fang!"

"Flygon, get out of there!"

Even though Flygon was fast, this command came too late as Garchomp surfaced and caught Flygon's tail with Ice Fang, freezing it, and causing Flygon to fall to the ground.

"Flygon, use Earthquake to break the ice!"

"Garchomp, you need to fly!"

Garchomp flew up off the ground and around the stadium as Flygon used Earthquake to break the ice from its tail.

"Now use Giga Impact, Flygon!"

Flygon once again became surrounded by the purple orb and orange streaks as it charged toward Garchomp.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!"

Garchomp glowed in a light blue orb and shot toward Flygon. Flygon, in its weakened state, could not hold out long against the fresher Garchomp, and was defeated, rolling across the field unconscious.

"Flygon is unable to battle! Garchomp wins!"

Josh recalled Flygon and thanked it for its hard work. "Go, Nidoking!"

"Begin!"

"Nidoking, use Ice Beam!"

"Garchomp, use Hyper Beam!"

Garchomp's Hyper Beam met with Nidoking's Ice Beam and proved to be superior as it moved closer and closer to Nidoking.

"Nidoking, switch to Hyper Beam!"

Effortlessly, Nidoking switched attacks, and the now golden beam evened out with Garchomp's, causing a massive explosion.

"What?" cried Misty. "How can he switch in the middle of an attack?"

"I'm not sure," replied Brock. "I've never seen it done. This guy is definitely the best Ash has ever had to face."

When the smoke cleared, neither Pokémon seemed ready to back down.

"Nidoking, use Bulldoze!"

"Garchomp, use Dig!"

Nidoking began to charge toward Garchomp, but was not fast enough to catch it before it burrowed underground, and instead crashed its powerful fists into the ground, looking for its target.

"Now surface and use Dragon Rush!"

Garchomp surfaced behind Nidoking and flew toward it like a missile, encased in its light blue orb. Nidoking flew forward from the force of the hit. It pulled itself back up and, with a command from Josh, fired an Ice Beam at Garchomp.

"Garchomp, use Dig!"

Once again Garchomp burrowed underground, only to have its newly-dug hole to be frozen over by Ice Beam.

"Now use Ice Fang!" called Ash.  
>Garchomp surfaced directly beside Nidoking and bit down on its arm, freezing it solid, but instead of stopping at the arm, the ice continued to grow and consumed Nidoking, leaving it unable to move.<p>

"Yes! Now use Dragon Rush to finish it!"

Garchomp charged toward the frozen Nidoking, glowing once again in that light blue aura. Dragon Rush hit its Mark, shattering the ice and sending Nidoking into the wall. Nidoking fell to the floor only a few feet from its trainer. It tried to get back up, but it was too weak, and fell back down.

"Nidoking is unable to battle! Garchomp wins!"

As Josh recalled Nidoking, Ash looked to his own Pokémon. Garchomp was scratched up and breathing heavily. The best Ash could hope for was to get in a quick hit before Garchomp was defeated. Ash knew that this was a long shot, seeing as how he was sure that the incredible Gyarados was next.

"Garchomp, can you handle another round?"

"Garrrr!"

"Right then, let's go for it, buddy!"

"Go, Gyarados!"

Gyarados roared as it appeared, a dreadful sound that silenced the crowd.

"Begin!"

"Gyarados, Ice Beam!"

"Garchomp, Hyper Beam!

The cold white beam shot toward Garchomp, who countered with Hyper Beam, but Garchomp was too weak, and the Ice Beam prevailed, freezing Garchomp solid.

"Garchomp!" cried Ash.

"Gyarados, Hydro Pump!"

Gyarados shot its powerful column of water, shattering the ice around Garchomp, and throwing it back to Ash's feet. The ref looked at Garchomp and waved the flag, signifying that Garchomp was unconscious.

"Garchomp is unable to battle! Gyarados wins!"

Ash recalled Garchomp and tried to decide what to do next. _I can't use Charizard. It would be at a disadvantage. I guess it's up to Pikachu._

"Go, Pikachu!"

Pikachu obediently ran out onto the field. Gyarados roared, trying to scare it, but Pikachu didn't budge.

"I was wondering when Pikachu would come out to play. This should be a fun battle. Ready to begin?" said Josh.

"You know it!" replied Ash.

The ref nodded and said, "Begin!"

"Pikachu, start off with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu charged toward Gyarados, a silver tail spreading out behind it.

"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!"

Gyarados shot the powerful blast of water at Pikachu, but it was too fast and avoided the attack.

"Pikachu, now use Electro Ball!"

"Gyarados, use Ice Beam!"

Gyarados fired the white beam, but Pikachu jumped just in time to dodge it. Then Pikachu's body became surrounded in yellow electricity and multiple yellow sparks came off Pikachu's body. All the electricity then condensed at Pikachu's tail and formed into an orange-yellow orb of electricity with sparks coming off it. Pikachu then did a front flip, throwing the orb of electricity at Gyarados.

Gyarados was unable to avoid the powerful electric attack, which, unlike Electivire's Thunderbolt in the earlier match with Jeremy, caused Gyarados to thrash about with the shock.

"Gyarados, use Hyper Beam!"

Gyarados' eyes narrowed as it located Pikachu, who was now on the ground. Then it released a powerful golden beam from its mouth.

"Pikachu, use Agility to dodge it!"

Pikachu started to run on all fours, leaping from side to side, but the explosion from Hyper Beam caught it and threw it against the side wall.

"Now Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!"

Gyarados once again fired the powerful column of water, straight at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Thunder Tornado!"

Pikachu began to unleash Thunderbolt while spinning on its back, causing the electricity to form a twister. The twister expanded and repelled the Hydro Pump. Pikachu then stood up, twirling its tail to continue the attack. Finally, Pikachu brought its tail around to point at Gyarados, and the twister of electricity moved to consume Gyarados. Gyarados could not get away as the electricity surrounded it, giving it a shock with the power of multiple Thunderbolts. Gyarados fell to the ground, unconscious from the massive electric shock it had just received. Josh, as well as Misty, Brock, and Jeremy, stood gaping.

"What?" cried Josh. "How did you learn that? It took Infernape months to make Pyro Tornado work, and here you figure it out in only a few days. That's incredible!"

"Well, Pikachu and I have used a move like it before, but this was much bigger."

"Either way," said Josh, seeming to regain his composure, "it doesn't really matter. One move will not help you win this match."

Josh recalled Gyarados and picked out Infernape's pokeball.

"Pikachu, return!" called Ash. He had noticed that Pikachu seemed a little worn down from its fight, and he believed that Pikachu would be necessary in the coming battle.

"Here goes," said Misty.

"Yeah," replied Brock, "it all comes down to this."

"Go, Infernape!" cried Josh as he threw the pokeball.

"Go, Charizard!" cried Ash as he did the same.

In two brilliant flashes of light, the pokeballs released the two fire-types. Charizard and Infernape both roared as they appeared on the field. A lot was riding on this battle. Ash knew that Charizard had its work cut out for it. Pikachu was injured, and a prolonged fight with Infernape would not be good. Charizard, on the other hand, was fresh, and had the type advantage. Maybe he could manage to damage Infernape enough with Charizard so that Pikachu wouldn't have to fight for long.

Josh, on the other hand, was completely calm. Infernape had never lost a battle. He had seen Infernape brought to the point of exhaustion, but no one had ever beaten it. Infernape had been his starter, and he had complete faith in its abilities.

"Begin!"

"Infernape, use ThunderPunch!

Infernape's hand began to spark as it came at Charizard with blinding speed, hitting Charizard with Thunderpunch before it could even blink.

"Charizard," cried Ash, "use Dragon Rage!"

Even though Charizard was slightly stunned by the attack from Infernape, it managed to summon the fiery inferno and send it flying towards Infernape, who had already jumped across the field.

"Infernape, catch it!"

Infernape dug in and placed its hands out to catch the golden ball of fire coming toward it. When the ball impacted, Infernape was pushed back several feet, but managed to take control of the attack.

"Now throw it back!"

Infernape pulled back, and pitched the giant fireball straight back at Charizard, who was stunned at the turn of events.

"Charizard, fly up to dodge it, then use Wing Attack!"

Charizard roared and obediently dodged the attack, then charged toward Infernape, wings glowing.

"Infernape, grab hold!"

Charizard flew in close and struck Infernape with Wing Attack. Infernape then grabbed onto Charizard's wing as it flew out.

"Now use ThunderPunch!"

"Charizard, start spinning to make it dizzy, then use Seismic Toss!"

Charizard began to spin round and round. Infernape, who was a land based Pokémon, had not expected this, and instead of continuing its attack, it grabbed on with both hands. Charizard flew up high, then turned itself toward the ground, pulling its wings in to give it a chance to grab Infernape. Because of its size, Charizard was stronger, and Infernape could not hold on to the wing as Charizard tried to pull it free. They hurdled to the ground. Josh tried to order Infernape to attack, but Charizard had it immobilized. Just before it hit the ground, Charizard spread its wings and pulled out, throwing Infernape to the ground.

"Infernape, Flare Blitz!"

Infernape jumped back out of the crater, the flames surrounding it showing its anger. It formed a protective aura and charged toward Charizard like a missile. As it charged, its aura turned blue, and it slammed into Charizard.

Charizard sustained the hit, but had to land because of its injuries. Infernape had continued past Charizard, and now had red sparks surrounding it as it took recoil damage. Its attack was now done and it turned to face Charizard, waiting for orders.

"Charizard, Overheat!"

"Infernape, Pyro Tornado!"

Charizard's body turned red. It then released a white fire with a red-orange flame spiraling at Infernape. Infernape began to spin around and around, throwing flames out from its hands and crown. Charizard's Overheat flew toward Infernape, but was just absorbed by the twister, which Infernape now lifted over its head to throw toward Charizard.

"Charizard, fly into the air and go around behind it!"

Infernape threw the burning twister toward Charizard, who took flight and flew around behind. The twister behind it quickly faded as Infernape ceased the attack.

"Now use Blast Burn!"

"You too, Infernape!"

Charizard's tail flame grew to a massive size as it fired a powerful stream of fire at Infernape. Infernape's crown grew as it did the same. A massive explosion ensued, knocking both Pokémon off their feet.

After the smoke cleared, Infernape struggled to get up. It began to rise, but fell back down. Charizard couldn't seem to pick itself up. Infernape finally managed to raise itself up on its arms, and soon it stood up. Charizard lifted itself, gave a mighty roar, and collapsed into the rubble.

"Charizard is unable to battle! Infernape wins!"

The crowd roared once again.

"This match is incredible!" said Misty.

"Yeah, but now the battle is up to a worn out Pikachu," replied Brock. "Ash needs to play his cards just right to win."

Ash stood on the platform thinking the same thing as he recalled Charizard. He took a deep breath, and said, "Go, Pikachu!"

Pikachu once again scurried out onto the field to face a larger opponent. Both trainers nodded to the ref, then to each other. The ref nodded and said, "Begin!"

"Infernape, use Flame Wheel!"

Infernape jumped into the air and somersaulted. The flame on its head then extended and covered its entire body. Infernape then rolled toward Pikachu at an incredible speed, hoping to finish this quick.

Ash, however, would not allow that. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Yellow sparks appeared around Pikachu's cheeks and tail before it sent a powerful bolt of electricity straight for the attacking Infernape.

"Infernape, to the left, now!"

Infernape, despite rolling across the ground, immediately moved to the left, dodging the Thunderbolt by inches.

"Keep it up, Pikachu!"

Pikachu continued to let off yellow blasts of electricity, but Josh kept ordering Infernape to dodge them. Finally, Infernape hit Pikachu with Flame Wheel.

"Infernape, use Fire Punch!"

"Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

Pikachu shot the ball of electricity at Infernape, who dodged it and came in to strike.

"Iron Tail!" cried Ash.

Pikachu swung its mighty tail, knocking Infernape sideways.

"Now use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu let loose the blast of electricity, striking Infernape and knocking it into the wall. After this effort, Pikachu was breathing heavily, as was Infernape. Neither trainer knew how much more their Pokémon could take.

"Infernape, let's finish this now! Flare Blitz!"

"Pikachu, come on, buddy, Volt Tackle!"

Infernape became surrounded by the white-hot aura and shot toward Pikachu. Pikachu began to charge toward Infernape, becoming surrounded by golden sparks. The Pokémon were ready, charging at full speed. Nothing could stop them now.

_Here it is,_ thought Ash, _will we pull it off?_

Josh thought, _You can do this Infernape. I believe in you!_

Misty thought, _Come on, Pikachu!_

Jeremy thought, _It's over. Josh won._

Brock thought, _I wonder if that girl from the help desk will go out with me when she finds out I'm friends with the Champ?_

**BOOM!**

When the attacks collided, the explosion sent dust and smoke everywhere. Ash and Josh were the only two who were not coughing. Their hands up to shield their faces from debris, they both watched intently to see who would win.

The smoke cleared to reveal both Pokémon down. Pikachu was on its back, yellow and red sparks circling its body. Infernape was facedown, also covered by red and yellow sparks. Slowly, Infernape got to its feet; Pikachu did, too. The Pokémon locked eyes only for a second. To Ash, it seemed that Infernape was smiling, but he couldn't be sure.

"Flame Wheel!" called Josh.

"Thunderbolt!" called Ash.

Pikachu cheeks began to spark, but it stopped when it noticed Infernape was not moving.

"Infernape?" called Josh.

As if in slow motion, Infernape fell forward onto the ground. It was unconscious.

"Infernape is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! The match is over! The new World Champion is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

Ash didn't even hear as the announcer echoed the outcome to the crowd, or as the crowd began to cheer his name. Misty and Brock ran out to hug him. He hugged them back. He never imagined winning the World Championships would feel this good.

He walked over to the center of the field, nearly tripping on every piece of debris on the way. Had it not been for Misty and Brock he probably would have. He shook hands with Josh, who told him that he was the first trainer to ever defeat Infernape in battle, and together they walked over to the ref and Professor Oak, who were waiting with the trophy. He shook hands with each of them and accepted the trophy. Then he raised the trophy high and laughed. It was a day he would never forget.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed it. Please review! Next chapter will be up in a few days. It will be more about the Pokemon Corps. Until then, please enjoy.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Pokémon, or any of its affiliated companies.

Well, here's chapter 7. In this chapter, the Corps will finally confront Ash and will explain a little bit of what's going on. Enjoy!

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><p>After his Championship match, Ash was swarmed by the paparazzi. The battle had ended at five and it took him an hour to get away from the paparazzi. When he finally got away, he, Misty, and Brock returned to their rooms to get ready for dinner. Ash had taken a shower and was getting dressed when he heard a knock on the door.<p>

Ash, thinking it was more paparazzi, replied, "No more interviews tonight, please!"

"Ash, it's me, Josh. I need to speak with you for a moment."

"Okay, give me a sec." Ash pulled on his shirt and opened the door.

"May I come in?" asked Josh. He was wearing a black trench coat.

"Sure."

Josh stepped into the room and turned to face Ash.

"Ash, I'm here because Jeremy and I need your help."

"What can I do?"

"You can start by coming with me."

"Okay," replied Ash.

He followed Josh to the elevator, and they rode up to the thirteenth floor, the top floor of the building. They got off the elevator, and Josh led him to room 1307, a suite.

"Inside this room is my boss. You may recognize a couple of others here, too. What you are about to see is highly confidential."

With that, Josh opened the door, revealing a small group of people scattered throughout the living space. Ash immediately recognized Jeremy and Sven, who were wearing some kind of khaki uniform. Sven also wore his usual giant hat. He also noticed a very beautiful girl with blonde hair and a sequined red dress. She appeared to be around his age. There was a tall man sitting on the couch who wore a black tux and a mask. He appeared to be strong, from what Ash could see. He was looking at Ash, but the mask was freaking him out. Finally, sitting on a chair opposite the door, was an older man, at least older than the rest. He appeared to be in his forties, though he did have gray hair. He was the first to speak.

"Welcome, Mr. Ketchum, and may I say congratulations on your incredible win." The rest of the room voiced their agreement.

"You're probably wondering why you're here. Allow me to explain. My name is Alastair. I am the Commandant of the Pokémon Corps."

"Pokémon Corps?" said Ash. "What's that?"

"It's no big surprise you don't know. We are the most secretive group in the world. Our job is chiefly to protect people and Pokémon from those who would try to do them harm. We have many operatives spanning the different regions, working against different organizations who try to harm the Pokémon, such as Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic, and many others. Not only do we combat these organizations, but we also work on smaller scales, working to protect all Pokémon from any threat, great or small. Perhaps you have heard of the Pokémon Rangers across the sea? Well, we are much like them, only we are a bit more secretive and we employ Pokémon Trainers."

"Josh said you needed my help with something," said Ash.

"Yes, well, Josh has a big mouth. We do need your help. I want to bring your attention to a certain day several years ago. Lawrence III works to capture the three legendary bird Pokémon, Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno. Due to his actions, Lugia was summoned. Do you remember this?"

"How could I forget?"

"Do you remember being called the Chosen One?"

"Yeah, it seems like Lugia said something about that. Why?"

"You were the Chosen One in the prophecy, but that is not the only prophecy in which the Chosen One is referred to. There is another, though most of it has been lost, and only a small portion remains. Though most of it remains illegible, we know that it does mention you, the Chosen One."

"Listen," said Ash, "I don't want to be rude, but I told Lugia, I'm not the Chosen One. I'm just a Pokémon Trainer. I had help. I never would have gotten one of those spheres if it hadn't been for Team Rocket. They saved my life. If they hadn't been there…."

"I would have saved you," finished Sven.

"What?" said Ash.

"I would have saved you," repeated Sven. "I was watching you. The Corps sent me to see what was going on. When I reported back about you being the Chosen One, they told me to follow you and make sure you didn't get into trouble. If those Team Rocket Members didn't help you, I would."

"Besides," began Josh, "being the Chosen One doesn't mean you have to work alone. My Infernape was never defeated on these missions because I always had Jeremy to help. You are the Chosen One. You succeeded, even if you had help."

"And it is the Chosen One we need now," continued Alastair. "You are a great trainer, which is key to joining the Corps, however, you are also resourceful. Team Rocket is once again up to no-good, and we need your help. Will you join us?"

"What about Misty and Brock?"

"We could always use more trainers at the Corps, and I'm sure we could find uses for their talents."

"Well, what do I have to do?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I suppose I can. I don't want you joining up without knowing what you're getting yourself into. Team Rocket is after three sacred artifacts left by the legendary Pokémon Arceus itself."

"Arceus? Really?"

"Yes….Wait a minute, you know of Arceus?"

"I've met it."

"Oh I see, yes, of course…You met him! When? Why was I not aware of that? Sven, why was I not told?"

"Page three, Sir," replied Sven. Jeremy stood next to him trying to stifle a laugh. The girl was shaking her head.

"Oh! Sorry. Yes, I see. You've met Arceus. Well that saves me an explanation. Well, Team Rocket wants to use these three artifacts to summon Arceus and use his power to enslave the world. We must stop them. If what we've read of the prophecy is true, and I believe it is, then we must have your help to stop them. Will you help us?"

"Sure. I'll do whatever I can."

"Good. Josh will meet you and your friends in the morning. Until then, do not speak of this, even to your friends. It is best if we speak as little as possible concerning this. We cannot let anyone know of our plans. Goodnight, Ash Ketchum, and be safe."

"Goodnight."

Josh walked Ash back to his room. On the way back, he told Ash the names of the people in the room. The girl's name was Alexa. She was an expert with grass types and one of the six best agents in the Corps. The man in the mask was known as Phantom, and the only way you could learn his real name was if he decided to tell you. He was also one of the top six. Ash learned that the top six consisted of Josh, Jeremy, Sven, Alexa, Phantom, and one other named Ben. These six were not only the best agents, they were also the best trainers in the Corps.

"I'll be up to get you at seven in the morning. Make sure that you're packed and ready to go. Let your family know that you'll be a couple days late getting back."

"How do you know about that?" asked Ash.

"You talk very loudly to your friends. Our undercover agents didn't even need to be close to get all the info we have." They arrived at Ash's room. "Now, be careful and remember, don't discuss the meeting with anyone!"

Ash nodded as he walked into the room. He finished getting ready and called Misty and Brock to see about dinner.

* * *

><p>Well I hope you enjoyed it. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Until then, please review. I hope you liked it! See ya!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliated companies.

Well, here's chapter 8. Finally. Even though its not the longest chapter, it felt like it took forever to write. Every time I came up with something new I had to go back and add it, so I was making no headway, but enough of my insanity. Read the story. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

><p>Ash went to dinner with Misty and Brock, and returned some time later. They had all enjoyed their dinner and decided to turn in early. Ash had told them that he had to meet someone at seven, but didn't tell them who.<p>

Ash finished brushing his teeth and crawled into bed. He looked at the clock. It was ten minutes until ten. It felt like it should be midnight. He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.

"Today's sure been an interesting day," he said to Pikachu, as the mouse Pokémon crawled up next to him. "And tomorrow should be interesting too, right buddy?"

"Pika," Pikachu yawned.

"Yeah, I'm tired, too," he said as he turned out the light.

"Goodnight, Pikachu," he said, but Pikachu was already asleep.

Ash awoke the next morning to the sound of the alarm clock he had set for six. He got up and started brushing his teeth. When he finished getting ready, it was fifteen till seven. He was getting more excited by the minute. He grabbed his pokeballs and sat on the bed, thinking about the meeting.

All of a sudden, he heard a knock on the door. He went over to the door and looked through the peephole. There stood Josh, who seemed to be in some kind of hurry.

"Ash," he called. "Come on! We need to hurry. You need to get your friends so we can go."

He seemed to Ash to be worried about something. Ash opened the door.

"What's the matter?"

"Something's come up. We need to go, now. Get your friends and come on. The car is waiting out front."

"Right," said Ash as he hurried to get Misty and Brock. They too had finished getting ready. Both were in their respective rooms watching TV when he knocked.

"We need to go," he told them. They each got their suitcases and followed Ash down the hall to see Josh standing next to the elevator.

"Good, you're all ready."

"What's this all about?" asked Misty.

"I'll explain in the car. This isn't private enough."

He led them out to the limousine and loaded their luggage as they crawled in. When finished, he crawled into the back with them. He knocked on the window to signal the driver that they were ready. As the limousine began to pull out of the parking lot, Josh finally began to explain.

"I'm sorry about that, I had no choice. A few Team Rocket agents found out who I was and we had to go. We're probably being followed even as we speak."

"What's going on anyway?" asked Brock, voicing his and Misty's concerns.

"Well, you are all coming with me to Pokémon Corps HQ. We need to meet with Ash to give him his mission."

"Mission?" asked Misty. "What mission?"

"They need my help to stop Team Rocket, Misty."

"Not just his help, the Corps could use all three of you. We could use a water Pokémon expert, and a new Pokémon Doctor. As for Ash, he's going to be our new field operative."

"What's Team Rocket doing, anyway?"

"Let me show you." Josh pulled out a laptop and hit a few buttons. He turned it around so they could see the picture. The display was of three golden objects. One was a ring with a giant diamond on the top. Beside it was a crown that had diamonds all the way around it. The third object appeared to be a scepter only about two feet in length. It had diamonds all over the top, and many other precious jewels directly over the handle.

"These are three sacred artifacts used to awaken the power of Arceus. The crown is known as the Crown of Destruction. The scepter is known as the Scepter of Beginnings, and the Ring is known as the Jewel of Creation. Team Rocket wants to use these artifacts to summon Arceus and take control of it. It is the Corps' mission to stop this. Team Rocket currently has two of the artifacts, the scepter and the ring. Alone, these two are worth nothing, but if they find the crown, then we have trouble."

"Do they know where the crown is?" asked Misty.

"No. Not yet."

"Do we?" asked Ash.

"Yes. We're guarding it."

"Where is it?"

"I can't tell you. Don't worry, you'll know soon enough. Your mission will be to guard it."

"Awesome!" cried Ash.

"Don't forget we will have to stop by HQ to get your new gear."

"I get new gear?"

"Of course. You did join the Corps."

"This is so cool!"

"Ash, calm down," said Brock.

"Sorry."

At this point, the limo slowed to a stop, and there was a knock on the window.

"Everybody out," said Josh.

Ash and the others climbed out of the limo and looked around. They were at the airport.

Josh came up beside them. "You see that huge plane over there?" He pointed to the largest plane on the tarmac.

"Yeah," said Ash and the others.

"That's our ride. I'll get your luggage, and then we'll all get onboard."

Josh checked in the luggage, and the limo driver, who turned out to be Sven, stepped out to join Ash, Misty, and Brock. Josh returned and gave each one their ticket. They all walked up to the plane and boarded. When they entered, Ash, Misty, and Brock just stood there and gaped.

The entire floor was full of two-seater rows of seats. These seats were obviously first-class, because each one had velvet cushioning and reclined. They even had a massage feature. On the back of each seat was a small TV that played movies that had only been released in theaters a week ago.

"Normally, we wouldn't go all out like this," said Josh, "but we decided that we need to move fast, and this is the fastest plane they have."

"This is incredible!" said Ash as he moved to find his seat. He found his row and sat down. Josh was seated next to his, and Misty and Brock were across the aisle.

"Now remember," he whispered, "do not mention anything we talked about on the way here. We don't know if Team Rocket is on the plane or not."

The three nodded their agreement and Josh sat back to read a book. After the plane took off, the passengers were alerted that they could now move about the plane freely. Ash, Josh, Misty, and Brock took the elevator down to the Snack Bar.

"I still can't believe they put a snack bar on a plane!" said Ash. "This place is awesome."

"Don't get used to it. As I said earlier, we don't usually travel like this. This is just to avoid Team Rocket."

"Josh, what happened to Sven? Wasn't he driving the limo?" asked Misty.

"He's still around. I think he's in the pilot's cabin. He's probably helping them fly the plane."

"He's allowed to do that?"

"More or less. He has his pilot's license. He's been a huge asset to the Corps."

"How big is the Corps, anyway?" asked Brock.

"What do you mean?"

"How many agents work for the Corps? Are you guys the only ones?"

"No, there are hundreds more. Some are in deep cover; others are stationed in special places. We have an army of agents."

"Then why don't you just march into Team Rocket's base and take over?"

"Two reasons: one, that would be very expensive, and two, we have a lot of people, but not that many. Team Rocket has over a thousand members. We don't have near that many. We could put up a fight, but Team Rocket could actually beat us if our groups went head to head. Remember, not every one of our agents are Pokémon trainers. While many of them are, we also have doctors, researchers, and many others. Team Rocket has a lot of trainers and a lot of researchers. That's what makes them so dangerous. They have enough researchers to make every trainer a deadly weapon."

"Wow!" said Ash. "So when will we finally get a mission?"

"Probably tomorrow. You will all meet with the Commandant tonight and he will assign you a mission for tomorrow."

"Will we need any training?" asked Misty.

"Ash will get his training on the job. You and Brock won't have much to worry about. You won't be field operatives like Ash. Misty, you will get to help lead water Pokémon research. You will probably receive missions to go catch certain Pokémon. As for you, Brock, you will study with many other Pokémon doctors and breeders to learn new tricks."

"Attention passengers, we will soon be landing. We ask that everyone return to their seats and prepare for the landing."

"Well," said Josh, "I guess we should return to our seats."

The four teens returned to their seats, anxious to be back on the ground. They strapped in and talked quietly among themselves as the plane landed in Rustboro City.

The announcement was made and everyone began filing out of the plane. Outside, Ash and the others met up with Sven and Alexa, who had arrived with a different limo. Brock immediately began flirting with Alexa and asked for her hand in marriage, an offer she politely refused as Misty dragged Brock away by the ear.

They all piled into the limo and began the long ride to Route 123 and the Hoenn-based Pokémon Corps HQ. Along the way, they all discussed the Championship battle, praising Ash and Josh for their skill in battle. Ash and Josh were a little embarrassed at everyone's praise and quickly changed the subject to the upcoming Frontier Tournament, a tournament in which each Battle Frontier facility, excluding the Tower, hosted a tournament, the winners each receiving an extravagant prize, and the opportunity to compete in another tournament inside the Battle Tower. The winners from the four regions all competed in this tournament. It was supposed to be a very large tournament, and Ash and Josh couldn't wait to compete. With this conversation finished, they arrived at their destination.

The limo slowed to a stop and suddenly the back door of the limo opened.

"Welcome," said Sven, "to the Pokémon Corps HQ!"

It was an amazing four-story building that had been painted white. The building itself appeared to be built according to the style of the Pokémon Ranger bases they had seen pictures of.

"The first floor is the lobby and offices. The second floor houses the training rooms. The third floor is the Command Center, and the fourth floor is the Black Ops Center," explained Alexa.

"What's a Black Op?" asked Ash.

"That would be all of us," said Josh. "The top six, and a few others, are considered Black Ops."

"Where do we need to go now?" asked Brock.

"Well, you'll be going up to the fourth floor. That's where the Commandant's office is."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," said Ash.

With that they all walked into the front door. Ash was amazed. The lobby was full of people. All of them wore the khaki uniforms that signified the Corps operatives. On the ceiling hung a massive chandelier, and on the floor was a huge rug with at least twenty different Pokémon on it. Behind the desk sat a young woman who was obviously working hard to keep up with all the calls.

"Are the phones really that busy?" asked Misty.

"Usually," replied Josh. "We get a lot of calls. Most of them are for minor missions that we send rookies out on. Some are from higher-ups who have a serious problem. Those calls are forwarded to the Commandant."

They walked and took the elevator to the fourth floor. This floor appeared to be a giant single room with a few side doors that Alexa told them led to offices. The giant single room had a giant computerized map for a floor and many computers along the wall. Ash had never seen so much technology in one place.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Corps. My name is Alastair, Commandant of the Pokémon Corps!"

Alastair shook hands with each of the teens, then led them to a door on the far side of the room. This room, he told them, was his office. He opened the door and let each one inside. To Ash, the room didn't seem to be very special at all. It was just a plain office. It had plenty of file cabinets, a few large chairs that sat across from a huge desk with plenty of papers, and Pokémon shaped knickknacks anywhere there was free space.

"Now," said Alastair, motioning for them to sit down, "let's get down to business, shall we?"

Ash, Misty, and Brock each took a seat in one of the large chairs across from him.

"There are some specifics that the three of you need to know. Team Rocket is very, very dangerous. Normally, I would never send an untrained operative into the field, but under the circumstances, I don't feel that I have any choice. Ash, you will join Josh and Alexa on their mission to protect the crown. Misty and Brock, the two of you will remain here to learn about your new positions within the Corps. The time may come when I will be able to deploy you into the field, but that time is not yet," he turned to look at Sven. "Sven, would you mind showing Misty and Brock to their new work stations."

"Yes, Sir!"

With that, Misty and Brock rose and left the room with Sven. He led them to the elevator and took it down to the first floor. He led them out the side door and around behind the building. Behind the main building stood three more buildings, two smaller ones to both sides of a larger one.

"The one on the left is our research facility, where the two of you will be working. The large one in the middle is the barracks, where you will stay. Finally, the one on the right is the armory. That's where we keep all of our uniforms and equipment. Now then, let's go get you guys set up in the research facility."

Sven led them into the building on the left and took Brock to the medical research facilities and Misty to the Pokémon research facility.

Back in HQ, Ash was being briefed on his mission.

"You're mission will be simple. You will be working with Josh, Jeremy, and Alexa to protect the final artifact."

"Where will we be going?" asked Ash.

"You will be going to Dewford Island. Your job is to guard Granite Cave. We have quite a few operatives stationed on Dewford and the surrounding islands. Fortunately, we have not yet seen Team Rocket on the island, but we cannot risk Team Rocket finding it. As of right now, Jeremy is the only Black Op on the ground. Your mission will be to reinforce the defenses. Remember: Team Rocket must not get that artifact!"

"Yes, sir!" they all said as one.

After the briefing, Josh and Alexa took Ash out to the armory to get him fitted into his new uniform. They gave him the khaki uniform and brown boots, along with a few items that would come in handy in the field. He was given a compass, a knife, a rope, a new Pokedex, and a set of voice-activated pokeballs.

"What do these do?" he asked when given the pokeballs.

"When you need to call on a Pokémon, but can't reach the pokeball, all you have to do is say, 'I choose you,' and call the name of the Pokémon. The pokeball will automatically release the Pokémon," explained Alexa.

"Cool!" cried Ash.

"Sir," came a voice at the door.

"Yes," replied Josh.

"The car is ready when you are."

"Thank you. We will be ready soon."

"Very well."

"Alright Ash, we'll let you call your mom and let her know that you're on your way to Dewford and say goodbye to your friends, then off we go."

"Okay."

He called his mom on the video phone in the lobby of the main building, letting her know that he would come home soon. He told her he had some World Champion business to attend to, but he would try to hurry. He also told her that she could reach Misty and Brock at any time. He told her bye and then went to find Misty and Brock.

"I guess this is it," he told them. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"We understand, Ash," replied Brock. Misty seemed on the verge of tears.

"Don't worry, Misty. I'll be fine."

"I know, but Brock and I just started traveling with you again, and now you're leaving again already. It's just not fair."

"I know, but I'll come back, and then the two of you can join me on my quest to catch'em all."

"Alright, but be safe."

"You know it," he replied as they hugged and he left to get into the car.

As they drove away, Josh was sure he saw a tear in Ash's eye, but he decided not to bring it up. After all, they were going to need Ash at a hundred percent for this mission. He needed Ash to let out his emotions, for sorrow would only hold him back, and Josh knew that Team Rocket would not hold back. Once they discovered the artifact on Dewford, nothing in the world could stop them.

* * *

><p>There we go. So Ash is now on his way to Dewford to protect the artifact. I'll try to have the next chapter up within the week, but it may be next weekend. I have a pretty busy week this week, but I'll try to write in my spare time. Until then, please review. See ya!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliated companies.

Well, here's chapter 9. I managed to get it out after working on it all evening yesterday. Now I finally have it ready and I'm glad. This puts me a chapter ahead. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>The jeep finally came to a stop at Granite Cave. Ash was glad there would finally be some action. He had to stay in the car for the four hour drive to a private helipad, where they boarded a private helicopter that took them to Dewford. The helicopter wasn't very comfortable, and Ash had to sit through three more hours on it. Finally, he got into a jeep that drove them on the one hour drive to the cave. Ash had never been so uncomfortable for so long.<p>

When he got out of the jeep, he noticed that the cave seemed to be secluded in the forest. He also noticed several operatives hiding in trees and in different places around the cave.

"Okay, I'll be out here to keep watch with these guys," said Josh. "Ash, you and Alexa will go join Jeremy inside. Try to stay warm. I know it's warm out here, but it will definitely be cool in there. The last thing we need is either of you getting hypothermia."

Ash and Alexa nodded and headed inside to meet Jeremy. Once inside the cave, they were surprised to find how cool and dark it was. Ash heard Alexa moving beside him.

"Sunflora," she called, "come out and use Flash!"

Sunflora appeared in a brilliant flash of light as it used its move to light the way.

As they continued on deeper into the cave, Ash realized that if it hadn't been for the thick khaki uniform he was wearing, he would be freezing. He glanced to Alexa, who was not wearing the uniform. He and Josh had spoken of this earlier. None of the Black Ops wore the uniform. Today, Alexa was wearing a simple ruffle top and a thin jacket over it. He noticed she was shivering.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied, though he could hear her teeth chattering.

"Here," said Ash as he removed the outer jacket of his uniform. "Take my jacket."

"No thanks," she replied. "I don't n-need your ch-ch-charity."

"It's not charity. You're freezing. I'm trying to make sure you don't get hypothermia."

"Right. That's the reason you're doing it," she said sarcastically.

"I'm serious," he replied sincerely. "I'm not hitting on you."

This caught Alexa off-guard. "You're not?"

"Of course not. I just want to be friends."

"Maybe he is just like Josh," she muttered.

"What?" asked Ash.

"Nothing," she responded, glad he hadn't heard her. After a short pause, she grabbed the jacket and put it around her shoulders. "But we tell no one about this. Understand?"

"Okay," replied Ash.

They continued on in silence for a while. After a few minutes they came to a ladder. Ash decided he would go first and led the way deeper into the cave. Once he and Alexa made it to the bottom, Alexa recalled Sunflora and then released it again, saving it the climb down.

"Alexa, is that you?" came Jeremy's voice when they could see again.

"Yeah," she replied, "it's me. I'm here with Ash. Josh is still outside."

"I understand," he said. "Come with me. I'll show you the crown."

He led Ash and Alexa into the final room of the cave. When Ash saw the crown, he nearly fell over. The crown was even more beautiful in person than it had been on the laptop.

"Amazing, isn't it?" asked Jeremy.

Ash could only nod in agreement.

"This is the artifact that we must protect from Team Rocket. If they get it, we will never be able to stop them."

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the cave, causing a few rocks to fall from above.

"Oh no!" cried Jeremy. "You two stay here," he said to Ash and Alexa. Then he motioned for the two guards at the back. "Come with me you two. We might need some help."

With that, they left the room. After they were gone, Ash turned to regard the crown. For some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off it.

_Come to me!_

"Did you say something, Alexa?" asked Ash.

"Nope."

Now Ash was confused. He knew he heard something.

_Come to me!_

There it was again. He stared at the crown more intensely.

_Chosen One, come! I must speak with you now! Hurry before it is too late!_

As if pulled by some unseen force, Ash began to move toward the crown. He put out his hand, and touched the crown with his index finger. Suddenly, a brilliant flash filled the room. Alexa turned to see what was happening.

"Ash, what are you doing?

But Ash didn't respond. He was in some kind of trance. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the cave.

_"It's about time, Chosen One!"_

"Who are you?" asked Ash, surprised to find his own voice was being magnified.

_"I am Arceus, creator of the three sacred artifacts which you now protect. You, Ash Ketchum, are the Chosen One. It is your destiny to protect these artifacts."_

"My destiny? What am I supposed to do?"

_"You are to stop Team Rocket from awakening the power they seek, for it is not my power, but the power of darkness. They try to summon the darker powers. They try to summon the true power of Darkrai. Even your entire party could not stand against it. Even the legends would cower before it."_

"So all we need to do is protect this crown?"

_"I wish it were that simple. I'm sorry to say that the only way to stop them is to defeat them and take away the two artifacts they already have."_

"What? Then how do we stop them?"

_"Do not worry. I will help you, but you cannot go into this alone. Though you are the one chosen to seal the darkness away forever, you will fail should you be the alone."_

"Who else will help?"

_"I must choose trainers who are such as you are."_

"Like who?"

_"I believe it will be Josh, Jeremy, and Alexa. Their hearts are strong enough."_

"Okay. But what about Darkrai?"

_ "Darkrai was a Pokémon who was to take on the darkness; however, there is some darkness that is too great even for him. Should they unleash this darkness, Darkrai will be completely under the control of the one who awakened the true darkness. Remember, they must not take this crown."_

Suddenly, the light seemed to disappear, a slight glow lingering on Ash. Little did he know, Josh, Jeremy, and Alexa had all heard the voice and had glowed the same way. The Team Rocket members who were battling Josh and Jeremy just ran away.

Ash shook himself, but was interrupted by a startled cry from Alexa. He turned to see four Team Rocket Grunts and a woman who appeared to be their commander. Two of the grunts were holding Alexa.

"Give me the crown, or the girl gets it," said the commander.

"No way! You're gonna have to battle me for it!" Ash responded.

The commander paused, considering the idea. "Very well," the commander said with a smile. "I won't lose."

Ash was confident, but he noticed that the Rocket commander had four Pokémon at her waist. Ash had only two. Normally he would keep his whole party, but Josh had explained that because they were frequently kidnapped, they never carried the whole party.

"Go, Golbat!" cried the commander.

"Go, Pikachu!"

Pikachu came out of the pokeball, which they had decided would be best for Pikachu until there was a battle.

"Golbat, use Air Cutter!"

"Pikachu, get out of the way!"

Golbat released light blue 'S'-shaped energy disks from its mouth at Pikachu. Pikachu moved from right to left, but was unable to continue avoiding Golbat's attack. Soon Pikachu was struck by a powerful blast and was sent rolling back to Ash's feet.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash had noticed that the attack seemed to be more powerful than most.

"Pika!" replied Pikachu, getting back on its feet.

"Impressive!" said the commander. "I never thought that your Pikachu would survive the attack. No matter. Golbat, use Poison Fang!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Golbat came flying in to strike with its glowing fangs, but Pikachu was ready, unleashing a powerful blast of electricity at Golbat. Golbat was knocked unconscious by the power of the move.

"Golbat!" cried the Rocket commander. All of the grunts were shocked. They had never seen their commander defeated so easily. She recalled Golbat and prepared her next Pokémon.

"Go, Muk!"

Muk appeared on the field opposite Pikachu, but the commander wasn't done yet. She had already been embarrassed by this kid once. It wouldn't happen again.

"Go, Arbok and Weezing!" Both Pokémon appeared on the field to fight Pikachu.

"All of you, use Sludge Bomb on that yellow runt!" Alexa closed her eyes as the three streams of sludge were fired at Pikachu. No matter how strong it was, there were very few Pokémon who could take such a hit.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!"

Even with her eyes closed, Alexa could see the brilliant flash of light as Pikachu exploded with the power of the electric attack. The attack dissolved the three Sludge Bombs as it radiated out toward the three poison-type Pokémon. Alexa opened her eyes to see all three Pokémon unconscious at their owner's feet.

_Incredible!_ she thought.

"This isn't over, you little punk," she looked to the grunts, "bring the girl and let's go."

"I think not!"

The leader turned to see Josh and Jeremy standing behind her, Pokémon at the ready.

"You're under arrest," said Jeremy.

They took the commander and grunts to a waiting police van that would take them to a nearby helipad. There, they would board a chopper that would take them to a maximum-security prison.

"So what happens now?" asked Ash as the van pulled away from Granite Cave.

"I suppose we'll take the crown with us somewhere safe."

"Like where?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that we need to get you some new clothes for this. We can't have you working with a group of Black Ops wearing the normal uniform. We'll have to get you something normal."

"So I can't keep the uniform?"

"You can keep it, you just can't wear it. We need to blend in. I say we go to Lilycove City. There we can do some shopping and we can stay at the motel."

"Lilycove?" cried Alexa. "That's great. I haven't been home in forever!"

"Home?" asked Ash. "You mean you live in Lilycove?"

"Yeah, I did before I joined the Corps."

"Then I guess it's settled. Let's go to Lilycove," said Josh with a smile.

* * *

><p>So chapter 10 will take place in Lilycove and will be out by Saturday. I'm using the same deadline I had for the last chapter since I'm ahead. Until then, please review. See ya!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Pokémon or any of the companies affiliated with it.

Sorry it took so long, but here's chapter 10. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>The chopper gently sat down on a small clearing over Mt. Pyre. Ash, Josh, Jeremy, and Alexa disembarked from the chopper and walked down to a small bridge. From here, they walked to the city of Lilycove.<p>

"I still don't understand why we have to walk," said Ash.

"Well, we don't want to look suspicious," replied Josh.

"So, what are we gonna do?"

"We can basically relax, except for the fact that we have to keep the crown safe. You can do whatever you want."

After an hour, they finally entered the main part of town and Josh, Jeremy, and Ash checked into the motel, while Alexa went to her parents home. Ash could still hear the roar of the ocean as it crashed against the cliffs. Ash realized that this city may be the largest in Hoenn, but it was much quieter than Dewford was.

"You guys picked a bad week to stay in Lilycove," said the manager. "There's a hurricane heading right for us. Not many people at all have been in town at all. That's why it's so quiet."

"A storm, huh?" said Josh. "I guess will just have to ride it out."

"I don't know if you'd want to do that. They say this is gonna be the big one. If I were you, I'd leave town."

"We may not have an option."

"Well, I'll only be in town for three more days, then I'm getting out of here. If you need a place to stay, I'll be glad to let you stay here during the storm. I'll even take some of the price off, but that's assuming you decide to stay."

"Thank you for your courtesy. I'll let you know before you leave."

The man started to reply, but was interrupted by a phone ringing. He answered the phone, only to hand it to Josh.

"It's for you," he said.

"Hello?" Josh answered. He and the caller then had a long conversation that Ash and Jeremy could not hear. When Josh finished, he hung up and asked the manager for another room.

"What's going on?" asked Jeremy.

"Alexa's parents have left town. She doesn't have a key. Looks like she'll be staying here with us."

Ash and Jeremy nodded and let Josh conduct his business.

"I've never had to ride out a hurricane before," said Jeremy, "should be fun.

Ash could only nod. He didn't much care for Jeremy's idea of fun.

"We need to go and pick up some stuff. If we plan on riding out a hurricane, we might want some food and water. Jeremy, you and Ash take care of the supplies. Don't forget to get some new clothes for Ash. I'll wait here for Alexa."

"Sure you will," Jeremy laughed. Josh blushed slightly but didn't reply.

After they had left, Ash seized the opportunity and asked what Jeremy had meant. He had not noticed anything between Josh and Alexa and was not sure if Jeremy was serious or joking.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Jeremy asked, completely shocked.

"I haven't seen anything," replied Ash.

"Oh, well, now that you mention it, I guess you wouldn't have noticed the way he looks at her. He tries to hide it, but it doesn't work on me."

"So do they like each other?"

"They try to fight it, because it could cause trouble, but it's there."

"What kind of trouble?"

"If anyone found out about them, they could be used against each other. Someone could kidnap Alexa and use her against Josh."

"I see."

"Whatever you do, Ash, do not bring this up in front of them. They try not to talk about it when they're together. Especially since they had that one mission."

"What mission?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we need to focus on which supplies to get."

They walked through Lilycove Department Store picking out different kinds of Pokémon food and some fresh food for themselves. After that, they went to the clothing store to pick up some new, less conspicuous clothing for Ash. Satisfied with their decisions, they headed back to the motel.

"So what did you mean earlier when you said 'that mission?'"

"Josh and Alexa had a mission a while back that took them to Fiore to work with the Pokémon Rangers. While they were there, Alexa got kidnapped by the enemy and Josh nearly destroyed his career to save her."

"What did he do?"

"Josh and Alexa were to be the Rangers' backup. Their mission was only to help, not to lead. When Alexa was kidnapped, Josh tried to take over and lead the mission. When the Rangers refused to acknowledge his leadership, Josh went rogue. He broke into three privately owned buildings to find Alexa, only to realize that she wasn't there. When the Rangers saw what he had done, they called Alastair and demanded that Josh be extracted immediately. Alastair called Josh and told him to leave immediately, but Josh didn't listen. He continued searching for Alexa. Sebastian, a man who used to be Alastair's number two, called me in and sent me to arrest Josh."

"Did you go?"

"I had to. You don't mess around with Sebastian. Although Alastair would have never allowed me to go on such a mission, I had to listen to Sebastian. Had I gone refused to go on the mission, he would have fired me. Sebastian never did like me or Josh. He regarded us as a couple of upstarts who had no idea what we were doing."

"Whatever happened to Sebastian?"

"He was fired soon after."

"So did you arrest Josh?"

"I tried. We battled one-on-one. I lost, but Infernape was seriously injured. There were Fiore operatives at every Pokémon hospital in the region. He couldn't heal Infernape without being arrested."

"I know Josh better than that. He wouldn't give up."

"No, he didn't. He went to the Pokémon hospital, and somehow healed Infernape and escaped from the Rangers. Josh then went and tried to save Alexa. He succeeded, but he was arrested immediately after for being a menace to the Fiore region. He was allowed to go free, but he was banned from the Fiore region."

"Banned? Seriously?"

"Yep. Josh was never allowed to return to Fiore. Josh agreed. He returned to Hoenn only to be severely reprimanded by Sebastian. He would have fired Josh, had Alastair not intervened."

"Alastair seems like a nice man."

"He is. He found me and Josh when we were on our journey through Hoenn. He asked us to join the Corps, and we've been friends ever since."

Suddenly, Ash noticed a column of smoke rising from a few blocks ahead. He pointed it out to Jeremy.

"Oh no!" Jeremy said as he suddenly broke into a run. Ash followed, but struggled to keep up with Jeremy's swift pace. When they were able to see the source of the smoke, they were both shocked to see the motel at which they were staying being consumed in the fire.

"What's going on?" cried Ash.

"I'm not sure, but look in the sky."

Ash looked up to see two Pokémon flying around, each with a trainer on its back. Ash recognized Alexa on the back of her Tropius, but he did not recognize the other cyan-haired woman riding on a Dragonair.

When Ash's attention returned to the ground, he noticed Josh battling with a rather large, red-headed man. Josh was using Infernape, and the other man had a Rhydon.

"Go, Empoleon!" cried Jeremy as he threw his poke ball. In a brilliant flash of light, the ball exploded and the powerful water-steel type appeared before them. "Use Hydro Pump to put out the flames!"

Empoleon immediately sprayed its powerful jet of water on the flames, putting them out.

The red-headed man turned to regard Jeremy and Empoleon. "Now there's another one? Oh boy!"

"Pikachu, you ready?" asked Ash.

"Pika!" Pikachu responded.

"Nel! There are too many now. We're not here to fight a full-scale war. We need to leave now!"

In response, Dragonair landed next to him, and the girl named Nel cried, "Hop on, Shark!"

The man named Shark recalled Rhydon and hopped on the back of Dragonair. With that, Dragonair took off like a rocket, leaving Ash and the others looking like specks of dust to Shark and Nel.

"Who were those guys?" asked Jeremy.

"I have no idea," said Alexa as Tropius landed and she dismounted. She rubbed its long neck and then returned it to its poke ball.

"Me neither, but we need to be more careful. We may have to all go together or not at all from now on. I'll get a message to Alastair to let him know what's going on, then we'll help rebuild."

The team nodded and they got to work composing a message to send to Alastair. Ash looked out over the ocean, watching the clouds as they steadily rolled toward Lilycove. For some reason, the sight of it made him very uneasy.

* * *

><p>I hope you enjoyed it. Please review. Next chapter, the storm arrives, along with a huge battle. And for those of you who are wondering what happened to Misty, she'll be back in chapter 12. I'll try to have 11 up by next Friday. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Pokémon, or any of its affiliated companies.

Sorry it took so long, but here it is, Chapter 11. I know it isn't that long, but it has a few major points here that will be important later on. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Ash watched as the rain began to pour outside. Although the skies had been cloudy for the past three days, darker clouds had filled the sky only an hour earlier and now the rain had started. Before the storm, they had watched the Lilycove News station to see how bad the storm really was. It didn't sound good. This hurricane could possibly produce flooding in and around Lilycove city. The worst part was that it was an extremely slow-moving storm, so slow in fact that it would be the better part of four days before the storm had moved out of the area.<p>

Ash, Josh, Jeremy, and Alexa had been forced to move into Alexa's family's house since the Lilycove Motel had been attacked by Team Rocket. Alexa had managed to call her parents and get their permission for all four to stay. They had used the Pelipper Delivery Service in Mauville to fly a key over to the four teens, who were now comfortable in the living room of the small home.

They all sat around a small table playing Monopoly, one of the few games Alexa's parents had kept. Ash was already out. They all jumped as they heard the giant crash of thunder.

"Guess the storm is finally here," said Josh.

They all moved to the window and looked outside. The rain bounced off the roofs of the neighboring homes. Lightning flashed as the four teens stared nervously out the window.

"I'm beginning to wonder if this mission is really worth braving the storm. There has to be somewhere else we could hide," said Jeremy.

"There are a lot of places," replied Alexa. "But this is the one place that no one will come. I don't see Team Rocket braving this hurricane."

"I've always known Team Rocket to be really persistent," said Ash. "The Team Rocket I know wouldn't let even a hurricane stop them."

Suddenly, another crash, only this one much larger, shook the house.

"That wasn't thunder," said Josh as he ran for the door. He ran outside, seeing a Salamence flying in the distance, using Hyper Beam on many of the buildings around. Josh was so preoccupied with the Salamence, he hadn't even noticed a mean-looking Drapion that was heading right for him. The Drapion grabbed Josh and threw him aside. Josh flew through the air, only to have his head meet a gigantic tree.

"Josh!" cried Alexa.

Jeremy came outside just in time to see Josh hit the tree. He looked across the yard to see Shark standing behind Drapion.

"Go, Empoleon! Use Hydro Pump on Drapion!" cried Jeremy.

"Drapion, Sludge Bomb!"

The two attacks collided, neither willing to give an inch. Jeremy noticed that Drapion was struggling to match Empoleon's massive power.

"Just a little more, Empoleon!"

Empoleon dug in and concentrated, tapping into its inner power, and unleashing a beam of water twice as large as the first. Drapion was no match for this high-powered burst of water and was sent crashing into its owner.

"Get off of me!" yelled Shark at his Pokémon, but Drapion was unconscious from the attack and did not move. Jeremy walked over and began to cuff Shark.

Meanwhile, Alexa had released Tropius and was flying up to meet the rampaging Salamence. When it saw her, Salamence roared and charged, preparing a Dragon Claw attack.

"Tropius, evasive maneuvers!" commanded Alexa.

Tropius dodged to the left, but Salamence was too fast, and struck Tropius' wing. Tropius plummeted in a downward spiral. Alexa tried to maneuver Tropius safely to the ground, but Tropius couldn't hear her.

"She needs help," said Jeremy. "Go, Ash!"

Ash nodded and threw a poke ball. "Go, Charizard!" he yelled.

In a flash of light, Charizard appeared. It roared as Ash ran to climb on. When he had successfully climbed on, he ordered Charizard to intercept the falling Tropius. Charizard roared its assent and flew into the air. Charizard zoomed toward Tropius and began flying in a careful path next to it. Ash knew that Tropius was too large for Charizard to carry down with both himself and Alexa riding on him.

"Alexa," Ash called, "jump on now!"

Alexa jumped away from Tropius and was caught by Charizard. She pulled out a poke ball and recalled Tropius. Ash breathed a sigh of relief, relief that was short-lived as he heard yet another roar. He turned to see Salamence was now charging toward Charizard.

"We need to dodge it, Charizard, but be careful."

Salamence flew in with a powerful Dragon Claw, which Charizard easily dodged. Charizard countered with a Flamethrower, mostly just to keep Salamence at a distance, but found it was no use as the Salamence charged through the Flamethrower, striking Charizard with a powerful Dragon Tail.

Charizard managed to regain its balance, only to be struck again by a Dragon Claw. Charizard now plummeted to the ground, just like Tropius before it.

"Drifblim, rescue them now," came a calm and familiar voice.

After a quick flash of light, the ghost-flying type rushed forward. It flew up next to the falling Charizard and wrapped its limbs around Ash and Alexa. Then it slowly began lowering itself to the ground.

"Drifblim, use Psychic to slow Charizard."

Once again, Drifblim obeyed the voice, focusing its mind and slowing Charizard and gently placing it on the ground. Salamence was enraged at yet another newcomer and once again charged.

"Drifblim, avoid it."

Drifblim quickly rose higher into the sky, taking Ash and Alexa with it. Salamence flew by underneath.

"Now use Shadow Ball."

Drifblim used its two remaining limbs and shot a ball of black and purple energy straight at Salamence. The attack struck Salamence, knocking it unconscious. Salamence plummeted to the ground, but was recalled by an unseen trainer.

Drifblim lowered Ash and Alexa to the ground, and then was recalled by its trainer, who was wearing a large gray cloak.

"It's a good thing you showed up when you did," said Jeremy.

"Yeah," said Alexa, "but what about Josh?"

"Melissa's taking him to the hospital in Fortree. He should be fine."

"We have to go see him!"

"No, we don't," said the trainer. "Alastair said that we were to head back to base. Lilycove isn't the best place to hide. He said we will probably have to split the team up. With Josh injured, I'm not sure what he'll do. Get your stuff together. Melissa will be back soon."

Ash and the others went inside and started packing. As he was packing, he thought about Josh's injury. What had he gotten himself into?

_Meanwhile…_

"So you were able to defeat the Chosen One and his Charizard?"

"Yes, sir, but Shark was captured."

"No matter. He was useless, anyway. Now the Dragon Lady will have a chance to fight without having to worry about anyone else. You do much better without a partner."

"Thank you, sir. So where do I go next?"

"I believe you should go to Fortree City. That is where you said they took Josh, correct?"

"That's the direction the Pokémon was flying in, sir."

"Good, then go after him. He would be a nice prize that would greatly help in my eventual takeover of Team Rocket."

"How long, sir?"

"Not long. Just wait. I will call you when the time is right."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>Hope you liked it. I'll have Chapter 12, where Ash, Misty, and Brock reunite, up soon. So until then, see ya!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Pokémon or any of the companies affiliated with it.

* * *

><p>The storm outside was terrible as Jeremy, Alexa, Melissa, and Ash sat in the hospital waiting room.<p>

"How long do you think it will be before he wakes up?" asked Ash.

"No telling," said Melissa, "the doctor says he received a massive concussion and that he may not wake up for days. They say that the longer he remains unconscious the worse things look."

"That's terrible!" screamed Alexa, a little louder than she'd meant. "He has to wake up! He just has to!"

"You can relax, Alexa. Josh will be fine," came a voice from behind them. They all turned to see Lance, the Dragon Master.

"Lance, it's good to see you again!" said Jeremy.

"You, too, Jeremy."

"So what's the legendary reclusive Dragon Master doing here?" asked Alexa.

"Dragon Master?" asked Ash.

"Yes," replied Jeremy, "after losing the Kanto Championship, Lance went off to train. Now he's considered the Dragon Master."

"I'm actually here for Ash. I need him to come back to the base."

"Why? What's up?"

"Well, let me explain…."

_Meanwhile…_

"Finally," said Nel, "I've made it. Time to destroy this city! Come forth, Salamence, Hydreigon, and Dragonite! Level Fortree City!"

In a brilliant flash of light, all three Pokémon appeared and began to fly toward the city. After waiting for a minute, Nel threw out one last pokeball.

"Let's go, Latias!"

With a mighty cry, Latias emerged from its pokeball and floated next to its master.

"It's time to destroy the Chosen One!"

_Meanwhile…_

"Alastair has asked that Ash return. He's got a new mission for him," said Lance.

"What about the others?" asked Ash.

"They're going on another mission. They're to head out as soon as Josh wakes up."

"But he might not wake up!" cried Alexa.

"If I know Josh, he'll be awake in no time. Anyway, Ash will be coming with me. Get your stuff together, Ash."

"Right," Ash said as he went to get his pack. When he returned, he said goodbye to the others and left with Lance. They got into a red Mustang and headed for HQ.

"Lance, there's something I was wondering about," said Ash.

"Like what?"

"You seemed to know everyone, but you've been gone for at least three years. And what happened to the G-Men?"

"There's a lot you don't know about, Ash."

"What do you mean?"

"After I lost the Championship three years ago, I went deep undercover. I became the right hand of a boss of a very bad group in Almia. That group wiped out most of the G-Men. They were incredibly strong. The Rangers were no match, and the G-Men did everything they could, but soon even they were defeated. Each and every one of my superiors was captured, and many of my friends were lost as well. That was the end of the G-Men. It seemed all was lost, but then a certain young man came to Almia. His name was Ben."

"That sounds familiar."

"That's because you've met him. He's one of the best agents in the Pokémon Corps."

"Him?"

"Yep. He was incredible. I'd never met a trainer who was so knowledgeable about Pokémon. He could find any weakness in any defense. He would never overpower an opponent, only outsmart them. It was incredible. He could send out a Beedrill against a Charizard and somehow pull out a win."

"That's incredible!"

"I know. With his help, the mission was a complete success. After that, there was nothing left for me to do, so I left for Mt. Silver. There, I trained to become a Dragon Master."

"So that's what happened."

"Yep. You might want to get some rest. We only have a couple of hours, and then you won't have any time left to rest."

"Right," said Ash, feeling the exertions of the past days hitting him. Ash reclined his seat and soon fell into a deep sleep. As he slept he had a disturbing dream, little did he know that the dream was real.

_Ash's Dream…_

Ash looked on as the once-beautiful Fortree City burned to the ground. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. All around, gigantic black columns of smoke rose from the ruins of what had once been buildings.

Over to his right, in front of the hospital, knelt a beaten and battered Jeremy, staring down a woman with cyan hair and a black and gold cape, who appeared to be unscathed.

"Aha ha ha ha! That's all you could muster. You're pathetic. Now where's the Chosen One?"

"I won't tell you anything!" Jeremy shouted as he rose to his feet.

"You really think you have a choice? Latias, Psychic!"

Latias screeched as it less loose a blast of mental energy. The attack lifted Jeremy into the air, causing him to shake violently. Ash watched as his friend convulsed with the sheer power of the attack.

"Speak, you fool!" ordered Nel.

Jeremy said nothing, which only angered Nel more.

"Latias, more!"

The legendary Pokémon screeched as it released even more power.

"_STOP_!" cried Ash just as Latias was about to attack.

Much to Nel and Ash's surprise, the Pokémon stopped. Jeremy fell to the ground, unconscious. Nel stared at Latias, unsure what was happening. It was then that Ash realized that Latias could hear him, though Nel could not.

Latias turned to look toward Ash. Nel did the same, but saw nothing.

"What's the matter, you stupid Pokémon?"

Latias turned back and prepared to strike, but before it could, the ground beneath it exploded, sending a huge column of dust and smoke all around. When the smoke cleared, Ash was surprised to see Infernape standing where Latias had been, and Latias was now lying on the ground several feet away.

"That Pokémon…," gasped Nel.

"That's right! I'm back!"

Nel and Ash both looked up to see Josh standing on the roof of the hospital, overlooking the battlefield.

"Let's rock!" he cried as he jumped from the rooftop. He landed across from Nel and Infernape moved to join him. Latias rose and moved next to Nel.

Nel smiled. "You really think you, who just woke up from a coma, can really beat me? You really are a fool."

"Me? A fool? You're the fool. You're about to take on the Champion of the Hoenn Region!"

"You're puny title means nothing to me. I hold a rank that far exceeds yours. I am: the Dragon Lady!"

"That explains a lot. I wondered how you were able to control Latias so easily, but it's no matter. I won't lose! Infernape, use Flame Wheel!"

Infernape jumped and began to flip in midair as its body expelled massive amounts of fire. Then, Infernape charged toward Latias.

"Latias, use Psychic!"

Latias shot the blast of mental energy toward Infernape, who, to everyone's shock, was able to easily dodge while maintaining the attack. Infernape careened into Latias, causing it to receive massive damage, not to mention a severe burn. Because of the force of the attack, and the damage from the burn, Latias dropped to the ground and struggled to get back up.

"You worthless Pokémon!" shouted Nel. "Of course you are too weak. I guess I'll just have to use the others. Come, my dragons! Destroy this pathetic boy!"

Suddenly, Salamence, Hydreigon, and Dragonite swooped down to face Infernape. Ash became worried. These three Pokémon appeared to be ready for an intense fight. Josh had just woke up. He wouldn't be able to fight too hard. Ash looked to Josh, who appeared to be enjoying himself. He had a huge grin on his face.

"Guess it's time for us to unveil our new move, Infernape. Use Fever Pitch!"

Infernape began to glow bright red, and gave off a heat that scorched the ground around it. Then the red glow expanded and consumed everything around it. Suddenly, a brilliant light consumed the area, surrounding the Pokémon, and eventually the trainers. Ash covered his eyes, startled by the immense power. Finally, the light subsided, and Infernape stood in the middle of the three unconscious dragons. Nel stood gawking. In her entire life, no one had ever managed to defeat three of her Pokémon. Even her Persian had only been beaten once, and it was her weakest Pokémon.

"Did you like it?" asked Josh.

"What was that?" asked Nel.

"Infernape's newest attack. Your Pokémon didn't stand a chance!"

"You're going to be a bigger problem than I expected. Guess I'll have to take a little insurance for next time. Druddigon, let's go!"

Everyone turned as the large Dragon-type Pokémon stepped out from behind a nearby pile of rubble. In its arms was Alexa. She appeared to be unconscious. At the sight of her, Josh began to run toward Druddigon.

"Druddigon, crush her!"

"NOOOOOO!" cried Josh.

"Stop, Druddigon."

Druddigon immediately stopped squeezing Alexa, and waited for orders from its master.

"You make one more move, Druddigon breaks every bone in her body, understand?"

Josh only nodded. Suddenly, a giant airship flew over Nel. It lowered a platform and Nel recalled her unconscious Pokémon before heading up the ramp. Druddigon followed with Alexa. Ash couldn't believe his eyes. What was happening?

After Nel and Druddigon had boarded, the ship raised the platform and zoomed off. Josh only fell to his knees. Ash looked closely, and noticed that Josh was crying. Ash wished he could have said something, but at that moment, he felt a powerful force pulling him away.

_Somewhere in the Whirl Islands, Johto…_

Ash awakened to see he was in the middle of the ocean on a small sandbar.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You are in the Whirl Islands," said a powerful and mysterious voice behind him. Ash turned to see Lugia floating over the water.

"Lugia!" cried Ash, startled to see his old friend.

"Hello, Chosen One."

"What's going on? Why am I here."

"You are here because I called for you. There are things that you must know before you start your next mission. Things are not what they seem."

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone who appears to be your friend is really an enemy."

"Who?"

"I cannot say. Arceus has ordered it. Everything we tell you changes the true outcome. The more I tell you, the worse I make it."

"So you mean it might not happen?"

"It will happen, but I cannot tell you who or when, only why. Someone believes that Team Rocket will succeed, and they are prepared to make sure of it. Be careful, Chosen One, for you are the one that Team Rocket fears the most. Although I cannot say why, you have far more potential than any trainer has ever had. Team Rocket is aware of this, and they feel you must be eliminated. Our time is nearly up. You must return. I have one last thing to give you, Chosen One."

"What is that?"

"Arceus has instructed me to give you the Heartstring Aura. It is a power that can only be given to a trainer and Pokémon who are truly bonded, such as you and Pikachu."

Ash looked to his left to see Pikachu scamper next to him.

"Here, Chosen One, take this power, and with it, defeat the darkness."

Lugia began to glow, and so did Ash and Pikachu. The light became so bright that Ash closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was back in Lance's Mustang.

"Great timing," said Lance. "We're only a couple of minutes away."

Ash was about to say something to Lance about his dreams, but remembered what Lugia had said and remained silent. The Mustang slowed to stop in front of HQ. The view shocked them. In front of HQ stood Misty, Brock, and Alastair, along with Misty's Starmie and Brock's Croagunk. Across from them stood Melissa, dressed in a Team Rocket outfit. In front of her, a powerful Golem roared, ready for battle.

Golem appeared to have taken quite a beating, and it looked as if Melissa was preparing to leave. She recalled Golem and began to run for the forest.

"Oh, no you don't," said Lance as he took off after her. "You guys stay here. I'll be back!"

Misty and Brock recalled their Pokémon and ran to meet Ash. Even under the circumstances, it felt good to back with friends. Alastair smiled and motioned for them to follow him as he led the way back to his office.

* * *

><p>I'm sorry it took so long. I've been way too busy for my own good. It took me forever just to finish this. Sorry again for the wait. I hope you enjoyed it! Next time, we learn more about the Heartstring Aura!<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliated comanies.

* * *

><p>"I see. The Heartstring Aura," said Alastair. "I've heard of it. Supposedly, it hasn't been used since the old days. It is said that it grants unbelievable power, but only to those who have truly grown a bond with their Pokémon. They also say that trainers and Pokémon will take the same damage, so be careful."<p>

"How do you know so much about it?" asked Misty.

"I've heard the stories. They say that the trainers of old could bond with their Pokémon in incredible ways."

"Can anyone else use this power?" asked Ash.

"In all my days, I've only known one other trainer to be able to use this power, though I've met many who had the potential."

"Who was the one you know?" asked Brock.

"His name was Markus. He had a strong bond with his Pokémon. I've never known any trainer who was able to communicate on such a level with his Pokémon."

"What ever happened to him?" asked Ash.

Alastair shifted uncomfortably. "He died on a mission. It was the worst day of my life."

"You mean he worked for the Corps?" asked Misty, shocked.

"Yes. He was our best operative. He was also my first pupil. I used to believe that there would never be another who would come close to his skill, but then I met Josh, Jeremy, and you. Now I know I was wrong."

"What about the mission?" asked Brock.

"We sent him to investigate, but it was a trap. I never should have let him go alone. I could have gone with him. I could have sent someone, but I let him go into a trap. One that I should have expected. I should have done something. He had a wife and kid. I regret that that boy grew up without a father. It was all my fault." Alastair began to cry. Ash and the others weren't sure what to do. They decided to remain quiet.

After a few moments, Alastair regained his composure. "On to the mission at hand. Ash, I would like you, Misty, and Brock to go to Sinnoh. Phantom has been making preparations to keep the crown safe. You three will deliver it to him."

"But I don't have the crown," said Ash.

"Yes, you do. Jeremy slipped it into your pack. Take it and go. Lance will go with you. You'll meet Phantom at the Poke Mart in Snowpoint. You must hurry."

Ash and the others nodded and began to make preparations for the coming journey. After a couple of hours, Lance returned and they all got in his Mustang, heading for the airport. They arrived at the airport and immediately boarded a private jet reserved for the Corps. While on the plane, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Lance relaxed, knowing that there would be little time to do so once they landed.

_Meanwhile…_

Josh fell to one knee, feeling the exertion from not only his battle with Nel, but also from the three miles he had now come. He had started off running, trying to catch the airship, but now, he could barely stand up.

"Come on!" he cried. "I need to get going, but my body won't even move." He punched the ground in frustration. "If only I were stronger. I could have stopped her before she got Alexa. I need to hurry!"

He tried once more to get up, only to collapse. His body had been pushed way too far, and now it would rest, whether he liked it or not.

"Need some help?"

Josh struggled to turn. There stood Jeremy, smiling down at him. Jeremy walked over and helped him to his feet.

"You need to be more careful. You're going to kill yourself."

"I've got to save her!" Josh said.

"And you will, but not now. You can't even stand on your own. You need rest."

Josh looked up to the sky, and then nodded. Jeremy carried him to a nearby tree and sat him down. Josh closed his eyes, and suddenly, he no longer felt tired. He opened his eyes, and saw that he was no longer in the forest. Wherever he was now, it wasn't anywhere on earth. Brilliant lights of different colors surrounded him, causing a kind of hypnotic effect.

"It's time you two received the Heartstring Aura," said a voice both recognized to be Arceus.

"Arceus?"

"Yes. It is me. I'm here to help the two of you. Ash has already received this power. Now it's your turn."

"Okay, so when can we use it?"

"Soon. But be careful. It is more powerful than any bond you've had so far. It has the disadvantage that both trainer and Pokémon take damage from battle."

"Got it," said Jeremy.

"Hey, Arceus," said Josh, "think you could take care of my injuries while you're at it?"

"Josh, you're going to kill yourself someday."

"I know, but I have to save her!"

"Very well. Be careful. My power is fading. Goodbye!"

Josh and Jeremy awoke and began to continue on, hoping to find the airship. Josh was surprised to find that his entire body felt like it did before the coma. He was 100%. They trekked on eastward, following the general direction of the airship that took Alexa.

_Meanwhile…_

The trip to Snowpoint had been a quick one. The jet ride lasted only a few hours, and Ash and his friends were now hiking through the snow, heading for the Poke Mart. They were only a couple of miles away, but the snow was so high that if felt as if it were ten. Finally, they arrived at the store, and soon found Phantom.

"Took you long enough," he said.

"We got here as fast as we could," replied Lance.

"Well, I guess you made before the locals got suspicious. You guys will all be staying, I presume?"

"That's the mission," said Lance.

"Good. Let's go."

They headed up toward the temple, being careful to keep their plans quiet. When they finally made it, they noticed someone outside the temple.

"This area's off limits," called Phantom.

"I know," came the reply. "I'm here for the crown."

"Who are you?" asked Lance.

"My name is Sebastian, an executive of Team Rocket. I'm here to take my crown!"

"Your crown? Yeah, right!" said Ash.

"You must be the Chosen One. They told me you had a big mouth. Very well, I challenge you for the crown!"

"No way!" said Ash.

"You won't have a choice! Go, Honchkrow!" He threw a pokeball and sent the bird Pokémon in to attack.

"Go, Pikachu!"

Pikachu leapt out to face the approaching Pokémon.

"Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu let loose the blast of electricity, but Honchkrow was too fast, and easily avoided the strike.

"Use Shadow Ball!"

Honchkrow summoned the ghost power to its beak and fired it toward Pikachu, who easily dodged it.

"Thunderbolt, again!"

Honchkrow was too fast, however, and struck Pikachu with a Drill Peck before it could attack.

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu struggled, but couldn't get up. Drill Peck had inflicted major damage.

"End it, Honchkrow! Dark Pulse!"

"Pikachu, it's time. Let's use the Heartstring Aura!"

Honchkrow fired the blast of dark energy toward Pikachu, who began to glow with a golden light. Much to his surprise, so did Ash. Suddenly, Ash heard the sound of heartbeat, his heartbeat. Then, he heard Pikachu's heartbeat. The two heartbeats began to synchronize, producing the sound of only one heartbeat, with two hearts. It was at this moment that the Dark Pulse struck Pikachu. Ash felt the attack, but it seemed less of an impact and more of gust of wind.

When the smoke cleared, Pikachu was unharmed. It stood with a determined look in its eye. Honchkrow seemed just as surprised as its master.

"Let's show'em how strong you really are, Pikachu!"

Before Ash could even give the order, Pikachu knew what to do. With the strength of their bond, Pikachu knew that Ash was about to use Thunder. Pikachu surrounded itself with golden electricity, and hurled it straight for Honchkrow. Honchkrow tried to avoid it, but the Thunder seemed move as a tornado, destroying everything in its path as it followed Honchkrow. Ash stared in amazement as the attack finally found its target, striking Honchkrow with such force as he'd never seen. Honchkrow fell to the ground, unconscious. Sebastian stared on as his Pokémon was defeated. How could this happen?

Sebastian recalled his Pokémon and ran for the forest. Lance and Phantom both followed him, ordering Ash, Misty, and Brock to stay back. They soon returned, unable to follow Sebastian.

"I never thought I see him again," said Phantom.

"You knew him?" asked Misty.

"Of course, you didn't recognize him, Ash?"

"Should I have?"

"Well, I figured you would have at least recognized the name. That was Sebastian, the man responsible for giving Jeremy and Josh so much trouble. Of course he would be working for Team Rocket."

"So he used to be a leader on the Corps?" asked Brock.

"Yes, he was our boss. He was second only to Alastair, but enough about that. You guys are probably tired. I'll let you rest while Lance and I finish getting things ready."

"Thanks," they all said as they headed to the camper hidden over in the forest.

As they entered the camper, they noticed three bunk beds, enough for six people, though there wouldn't be six people in there at any one time, since someone would have to keep watch.

Ash looked over at Misty. He realized how much he had truly missed her. Traveling with Josh, Jeremy, and Alexa had been nice, but now, he was glad to be back with his friends. He realized that no matter how much time he spent with the others, Misty and Brock would always be his best friends. He remembered the strange relationship between Josh and Alexa. Would he and Misty ever reach that level? Wait a minute, what was he thinking? He didn't like Misty like that! He could never. I mean, sure, after his adventures in Unova she had returned to help him train for the World Championships, and he was so happy that she had returned, but now, here he was, wondering if he could ever love her. All of these life or death situations must be messing him up bad.


	14. Chapter 14

_I don't own Pokemon or any of the companies affiliated with it!_

* * *

><p><em>In Lilycove City…<em>

"Man, where did they go?" said Jeremy.

"I have no idea," said Josh, "but we need to find them."

"That's for sure. We even used our Flying-type Pokémon and couldn't get any leads. What should we do?"

"I guess we should go to Mossdeep. That's the next city in line. We may be able to borrow their satellite equipment to get a lead on the airship."

"I guess. We need to use their equipment to check out Spear Pillar anyway," said Jeremy.

The two released their bird Pokémon and flew east toward Mossdeep. Jeremy could tell that Josh was worried about Alexa, but Josh seemed to be taking everything well, especially considering last time. After a couple hours, they finally landed on Mossdeep. Josh and Jeremy then walked to the Space Center to give their Pokémon a rest. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by Sven.

"What took you mates so long," he said in his thick accent, "I've been waiting for a couple of days. Ash and Lance have even made it to Snowpoint already. You guys should have gotten here much faster than this."

"We were trying to find Alexa," answered Josh.

"Well you should have come here, first. We can use the satellite equipment to track her down."

"Right, let's do it."

"I'll put some people on it. Right now, I need you two to come with me. They're saying that something's going on at Spear Pillar. If that's the case, then Alastair wants us to take care of it."

Josh and Jeremy nodded and followed Sven into the control room. A research intern greeted them and handed each of them a digital information tablet. Josh and Jeremy took a second to skim over the information. Much of it was just a report about increased activity in the area, nothing to say that it wasn't just an archeological dig. Finally, at the end of the report was a satellite picture of the area. It was obvious that it wasn't an archeological dig. The vehicles that were in the area were definitely not standard vehicles you would take to a dig. Many black SUVs dotted the area. Even more obvious than that was the gigantic airship that the satellite had noticed in the area. This had to be the work of Team Rocket.

After a quick briefing by a couple of scientists, a researcher entered the room to tell the three that the airship had been found. According to their information, it was the same airship as the one in the picture. Josh, Sven, and Jeremy now had their lead. They were going to Spear Pillar.

"Alright, mates," said Sven, "I'll call Ash and Lance and let them know where to meet us. You two call Alastair and let him know to mobilize the local Pokémon Corps operatives."

Josh and Jeremy immediately went to work, and within the hour the three left on a special jet headed for Eterna City.

The trip was a fast one, and Josh and Jeremy were in Eterna City within a few hours. They found a jeep waiting for them and sped off, heading for Mt. Coronet.

"This is just like a few years ago with Team Galactic," said Jeremy.

"Yeah. It's a good thing we stationed some of our better agents here to keep an eye on things," said Josh.

"What you say is true, but we haven't been able to get in touch with those blokes for weeks. Whatever's happening here, we're completely in the dark."

"Why haven't we sent agents in by now? If we haven't heard from them, we should have tried to check things out," said Josh.

"They went undercover. We figured they were just on their mission," replied Sven.

Suddenly, a gigantic earthquake shook the ground. Sven swerved the jeep to the side of the road as the quake persisted. After three whole minutes, the quake finally subsided.

"What on earth was that?" asked Jeremy.

Josh and Sven both remained silent. Sven drove off toward Spear Pillar, which now had an eerie black cloud above it.

_On Spear Pillar…_

"Have you finished the preparations yet?"

"We're trying, sir."

"Well hurry. With every passing minute, the Chosen One gets closer. He's already boarded a plane to join his friends here. He plans to defeat us here before we can summon Darkrai."

"We're working as fast as we can, sir."

"Then I'll go welcome them."

_At the base of Mt. Coronet…_

"Where are they?" asked Sven, obviously annoyed.

"I have no idea, but I wish they'd hurry," replied Josh.

"Here we are!" called Ash, as he, Brock, Lance, and Misty ran up to the trio. No one made any mention of the fact that Misty and Ash were holding hands.

"Finally, the gang's all here. I was wondering when you would all get here."

Everyone turned to see Nel, the Dragon Lady, striding confidently toward them.

"Guys, go on up to Spear Pillar! Sven and I can handle this one!" said Lance.

Everyone hurried up the rough path that lead up the mountain.

"Hope you're ready for a showdown!" shouted Nel. She threw her poke ball and in a flash of light, Latias appeared.

"Let's see you beat this," said Lance as he threw out Dragonite. Sven tossed out Luxray.

"Latias, Psychic!"

Latias sent the blast of psychic energy hurling for Dragonite, but much to its surprise, the attack veered off immediately, heading for Luxray. Luxray wasn't expecting the hit, and was immediately knocked out.

"That was pathetic!" said Nel.

Suddenly, an earthquake shook the area, and Darkrai appeared on Mt. Coronet. For some reason, Nel was teleported up to it. Ash was also teleported to Spear Pillar.

"What's going on?" asked Ash.

"The final battle," Sebastian said. "Arceus has chosen you to fight for him. This should be good."

"Darkrai, attack!"

"Pikachu, go!"

Darkrai charged toward Pikachu, readying a Shadow Punch, but Pikachu spun and dodged, following with a jolt of electricity. Darkrai fell to the ground.

"No, Darkrai still isn't powerful enough. Nel, give him your power."

"I refuse to give that thing my power."

"Then he'll just have to take it."

Darkrai grabbed Nel and absorbed her. Then, it attacked Pikachu with Dark Pulse. Pikachu was hit and flew back to Ash, who caught him and used the heart-string aura. Pikachu then grew more powerful and shot a bolt of electricity at Darkrai. Darkrai was hit and flew back to Sebastian's feet. Sebastian, who was furious, ordered it to absorb Alexa, which it did. Darkrai was now glowing with power. No one had known Alexa was that strong. Darkrai shot a Dark Pulse at Pikachu, and even though Pikachu dodged, the explosion caused it to fly into a rock. Pikachu got up and Ash began to focus. Then he saw Darkrai through Pikachu's eyes. He felt power surge through his body, and he unleashed Celestial Lightning. The rainbow blast of electricity hit Darkrai with such force that it was disintegrated. Darkrai was no more. Josh and Jeremy arrived and arrested Sebastian, who was crying in defeat. Ash was exhausted and fell to the ground, but Brock and Misty caught him. Misty gave him one last kiss, and Ash felt happy that it was finally over.


	15. Sequel?

I was thinking about a sequel, to be started possibly over the next 2-3 months. I thought it might be nice to get some feedback on this idea. If I do write a sequel, it will not involve Ash and Misty. This will instead focus on the futures of Josh and Jeremy. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


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